


Bittersweet Sunsets

by liththedarkseer



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood and Violence, Demon/Human Relationships, Depression, Gay, M/M, Original Character(s), Originally Posted Elsewhere, References to Depression, Slow Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:29:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 41,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25641358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liththedarkseer/pseuds/liththedarkseer
Summary: *this work is in its first draft and has undergone very little revision*Lith is 21 years old and depressed.3 years ago, his lover Iodyne was killed in a fatal accident, and he had been left to handle his grief by himself.He moved away from home to hide and recover, but to no avail.The only thing that makes some kind of change in his life is a human named Dustin.Dustin is 19 years old and doesn't know what to do with his life.3 years ago, he saw something surreal on the news, and he and his friend Derik searched for the answer.He recently moved away to start a career someplace, do something productive.His plan gets interrupted when he meets a demon named Lith.A fateful encounter on a typical day binds their fate, and together, they unveil the true story of Iodyne's death, and some other things.
Relationships: Lith Ruechester (OC) / Dustin Alistair (OC)
Kudos: 1





	1. lith

Lith's POV

It was a dark morning outside. But that was because the sun hadn't risen yet, just the slightest violet hues streaking the sky. The somber colors reflected onto the sparkling surface of the water, a shimmering dance like a celestial being.  
It was still dark though. Nothing would change that.  
Ever. 

Lith fairly liked the darkness. Watching outside the bedroom window, his pale fingers drummed a silent melody on the sill. That was because he was always a part of shadows one way or another. It was who he was; it was his curse and his blessing.  
But recently, he'd been lurking in a shadow he grew to hate: a shadow of depression

With a sigh, he lowered his head, messy bangs covering his line of vision easily. He reached up and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. It seemed like he was always tired now. Always weak, always sleepy, and always this deep in shadows.  
Maybe he was, but he couldn't tell anymore. Ironically, it felt like he was drowning. But why?

Still half asleep, Lith got up and walked out of his bedroom, creeping down to the bathroom and closing the door behind him. He took a deep breath, then exhaled softly. The wooden door was cool under his fingertips.  
He guessed he should ready himself for the day. It was time for a day of... what, exactly?

He was a stay-at-home author. He wrote short novels, and spent most of his time thinking and drinking his life away. Drinking coffee, of course, he couldn't bear to destroy his liver. His organs are working so hard to support him.  
And then there was nothing left for him to do, except sleep. He could survive easily without doing anything more. He didn't even have to eat.  
There was no real point in this monotony, especially since...

Lith shook his head gently, then stepped towards the bathroom mirror. He looked up at the man in the reflection: the one everyone knew was Lith. Or... it was a terrible version of him.  
He was a mess; with black circles under his empty, ice blue eyes, and a major bedhead, he looked as if he hadn't slept in months. His hair was black and unkempt, with his platinum blonde bangs messed up from rubbing his eyes. He looked more lifeless than usual and even farther from human, with his pale skin as white as porcelain edging an ominous grey hue. Though, that was expected. 

He couldn't remember the last time he didn't look like this. Not as lifeless, not as exhausted.  
He couldn't remember... the last time he actually looked happy, actually. The last time he looked... like himself. His cheeks flushed a deepening grey hue as he grew cold with self pity. Inky black tears beaded in his eyes, the darkness dancing with his pain. He gulped and blinked them away.

"..."  
...It was three years ago, but that day, he remembered it crystal clear. He remembered where he was when it happened: at home, sitting down, relaxed and dozing off. He was waiting for Iodyne to come home. His dearest Iodyne, his precious lover, his light in the shadows that always enveloped him. 

He could remember the very thoughts he thought in that pleasant mood he had. He was thinking about Iodyne's sweet grin, and how happy it always made him. He contemplated giving him a bunch of hugs, although he could never give as many as he truly deserved.  
He loved him, with all of his small cold heart. It was remarkable how much he could love with a heart wrapped in shadows. But alas, Iodyne was a special man. 

...Little did he know, Iodyne was never going to come home that day. All was well until the phone rang.  
It was the police, informing him that Iodyne was hit by a speeding vehicle. They were looking for answers, as his ivory white blood splashed against the pavement.  
Lith had never felt so much pain before, without a single wound on his skin. Everything from his life disappeared in only mere moments.  
And now, he continued to stare into his reflection, into the mess he had become.  
...

>>>>>

Something inside him urged him to go outside. At the same time, his mind screamed for him to stay. It wouldn't hurt to go back to sleep. His mind ravaged back and forth as he got himself dressed.  
Stepping outside after dressing at a sluggish pace, Lith was met with a brilliant sunrise peeking up over the horizon, sparkling on the ocean's surface. It surprised him momentarily; yellow streaked painted the sky in ways he hadn't noticed before, dancing with violet and magenta clouds and dying stars. Grabbing his attention back to the task at hand was the sound of motors rumbling and passing cars. His eyes wandered towards the mainland.  
His silent home was in Virginia Beach. Iodyne didn't die here; the police had been prying to interrogate ever since Lith received the first call. It was expected upon seeing Iodyne's white blood, and he knew he needed to bail. However, he never left the workd of humans.

Virginia Beach was still an active, human-populated city, but it had been three years. He doubted the police were still searching, even if they still had his belongings and the news footage as proof of his existence. Though, there was one problem to encounter; they no longer had his corpse. The fact usually made Lith ghost a sad smirk.  
Such a clever defense mechanism for his species, especially with accidents like these able to happen. It was one of the few things he liked about being demonic in nature.

He tugged on the hems of the light sweater he had put on, the dusty lavender hue ever so slightly darker than his porcelain skin. He made his way down to the wooden boardwalk. From there, he walked to the street behind his home, and onto a sidewalk alongside it. The rumbling of cars now had a visual as they crept along. 

It was an unpleasant morning. It was cooler than usual, which may feel pleasant to humans, but not to Lith. Like a mirror of his late lover, his blood was black in color. He was also cold-blooded and often fell ill in cooler weather. So naturally, he liked the warmth of the midday sun, toasting the air until it was suffocating. Despite his preferences, he never really went outside much at all anyway.

There were few cars out on the road, so he crossed the street easily. He made his patient way down to a small corner cafe.  
It was a place he had been to a few times, and he particularly liked it. The coffee was nice, and it always had a comfortable feel to it. Not to mention it was usually quiet and peaceful. He walked in, the door's bell tinkling like a pleasant bird, and the familiar setting flushed back memories that rushed to his attention. He had come to this cafe every once in a while, and he decided it was the time again. A girl stood at the counter by the register, long brunette hair tucked behind in a low ponytail. Her eyes almost matched in color, framed by red rectangular glasses. She was the manager, and she was always there working whenever he came. Lith walked over to the counter, casually as he usually did. The girl looked up from the cash register in front and gasped happily. She gave a bright smile and her eyes flickered with recognition.  
"Lith! You're back again, you little rascal!" She exclaimed. Her voice held an excitement that alerted him of his senses just a little more. He smiles back lightly.  
"Mm. You're still as peppy as usual, little one." He responded in a welcoming tone. The girl pouted playfully all of a sudden.  
"I'm not little! And call me Conchita! You said you would last time." She told him, the pout fading after.  
"Right, right. My apologies."  
"Not at all. Same thing as before?"  
"Mm."  
"Coming right up!" Conchita turned on her heel and walked towards the coffee machines behind her. Grabbing a medium-sized Styrofoam cup, she placed it underneath a machine and pressed a couple buttons, skill and experience evident in her movements. She turned to the condiment bar and picked up a handful of sugar packets, and a handful of creamers. She placed them on the counter and turned back to the coffee cup. Lith covered his mouth as a yawn passed his lips quietly. Conchita looked over her shoulder.  
"Aw, sleepy still?" She asked. Lith nodded.  
"I didn't sleep well." He admitted.  
"Ohhh. Well, if the coffee doesn't help at all, take a nap later."  
"Hm?" He gave her a curious look. She simply smiled with a patience, before turning her attention back to the coffee cup. She picked it up once it had finished filling up with the rich liquid, taking it over to the counter. She tore open the sugar packets easily and poured each on in, then followed with the creamers. Finally, she took a coffee stirrer from the condiment bar and stirred the coffee, before placed the top onto it.  
"French Vanilla, hot coffee, 7 sugars and creams, am I right?" She asked, looking up at him. Lith nodded.  
"Well, here you go! My treat today." Conchita handed the cup to him. He blinked.  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah! I never get to see you, and you're one of my coolest customers. Besides, my brother won't notice."  
"Oh... Well, alright." Lith smiled in gratitude and took the coffee. Conchita smiled back.  
"...Oh! Uh, can I ask you something?" She suddenly asked. He nodded.  
"Go ahead."  
"Where do you live? I mean, it's not to be creepy or anything! I'm just curious. I don't usually get customers from outside this place except for the tourism, but you always come every once in a while. And you don't exactly have a local's suntan either." Lith couldn't help but smile lightly in amusement.  
"I live in a condo across the street. No one else stays there though." Conchita gasped a little.  
"You mean the one where that old drug lord lived? With the bad rep?"  
"Mm. It isn't that bad anymore."  
"Is that so? I heard it smelled like drugs from head to toe." Lith shook his head.  
"I helped to clean it up."  
"Ohhh. That's nice!" She smiled softly. He smiled back.  
"Mm."  
"Well... feel free to stay as long as you'd like! I have a feeling it'll be a slow day anyway."  
"Thank you." Lith smiled once more before going over to one of the small tables inside. He sat down quietly, and took a sip of the coffee. It was really sweet in human tastes, but his species had tongues that worked differently. To his tastes, the coffee was spicy. Not too spicy, but not for amateurs. He had a preference for spicy things anyway. The piping hot liquid warmed up his body as it went down, letting him relax further. As mentioned before, he particularly liked this place.  
"..." He couldn't help but drift off to distant memories of when he arrived at that abandoned condo. The scent of drug use seemed impossible to remove at the time, and he remembered all the times he grew nauseated from it. He didn't have anywhere else to go, however. It was a long way from home.  
So, he decided he had to forget everything for a few days, and start again. The clean up took him over the course of those few days, but it was worth it. He decided to stay in the cleanest room with the most working windows that weren't broken, which happened to be on the 3rd, topmost floor. He wasn't afraid of heights, but he had a fear of water. Maybe it was the height of being away from the water more that was compelling about that room, but it also had a perfect view of the sunset.  
...Sometimes, it was something that stood out to him, that gave him faith to continue in this world. No, not faith.  
...Hope.  
Before he was too deep in the void of his own thoughts, he was snapped back to reality by the sound of the doorbell tinkling.


	2. dustin

When Lith's eyes wandered up to the door, they landed on a figure of curiosity.  
It was a male, about Lith's age and height. Maybe somewhat shorter. His build was slim with good features to it, and he wore a blue plaid hoodie with a grey interior, old dark jeans, and black and white sneakers with loose laces. He had a black backpack on and it seemed to be filled with stuff. His hair was brunette and slightly wavy, cut at the ears, and his eyes were a bright angelic blue.  
Angelic?  
Lith thought it was the only way to describe the shade. He blinked, realizing all of that information he had gathered from a single glance. The male had walked up to the counter by then, already greeting Conchita. His tone was warm, and his gait seemed lax and... cool.  
Cool?  
Once again, more refining words failed to come to mind. Lith didn't process anything that was said however, even as Conchita's voice rang into the conversation. The male's voice was like soft bells to his ears, soothing and washing an aura of serenity over him. Not many voices did that. It was usually human voices that sounded neither sweet nor irritating, and the voices of those who aren't human usually had sweeter, more seducing and/or relaxing voices. But this male was different. Lith could tell he was a human, but either way, he paid no mind.  
The feeling he received from it... It reminded him so much of...  
A small frown creased his lips as he averted his eyes down to his coffee. He lifted it up to his lips and gulped down a small sip. He felt the warm, spicy liquid make a current of heat down his chest to his stomach, making a fuzzy sensation. A warmed exhale followed. He urged himself to relax, as he could feel himself tensing with reminiscence.  
He tried to forget the male's voice, but the conversation had not yet ended.  
'Whaaat? People drink both anyway?'  
Lith looked up instinctively, but to no one in front of him.  
He could still hear Iodyne's voice echoing...  
'Yes. Sometimes it depends on preference or the season.' He remembered he replied. Iodyne had a confused expression, watching bystanders walking and passing in and out of a coffee shop they had passed by.  
'That doesn't make any sense... Wait, does that mean they have different blood temperatures?' Iodyne looked up at Lith. His orangey eyes had demanded answers. Lith had shook his head.  
'No. They remain at 98.6 degrees. They can't usually adapt right away with their bodies by themselves, but they wear protective clothing to help. And it influences what temperature of their consumables.'  
'Ohhh, I see... You're so smart about humans!' A feeling of heat wrapped around his hand, and he held his breath for the shortest moment. Iodyne had grinned happily, squeezing his hand tight. Lith remembered a blush, a wash of coolness glazing his cheeks that would tint them grey. A small smile tilted his lips...  
"Do you need help with that?" Lith blinked, snapping back to the reality in front of him. He must've looked back down to the coffee in the midst, because he looked back up to see who spoke. He guessed it was Conchita, as she was leaning over the counter. The male had his backpack off now, placed onto the counter and now was rummaging through it. He looked up at her, a pink hue on his cheeks.  
"N-No! I, uh, I'm sure it's in here," he looked back down at the task before him and opened another pocket. Lith raised an eyebrow. 'Did he... lose his wallet?' he wondered silently. He figured the male was feeling embarrassed by now, telling by the blush.  
...He contemplated helping with a quick decision.  
"Um..." he spoke up softly. The male looked over at him, like he heard something but didn't know what it was. He had a look of astonishment in his eyes for a brief moment. Lith stood up and walked over to him.  
"I can pay for it, if it's an inconvenience," He suggested calmly. He was noticed that he was a bit shorter than him. The male continued blushing, tensing up.  
"W-Well... I guess so," he allowed with hesitation. He glanced over at Conchita, as Lith did as well. Conchita's eyes were filled with excitement and admiration, most likely because of Lith's "good samaritan" action. Lith felt a soft wave of coolness over his cheeks, and looked down towards the ground. Taking out his wallet, he took out the currency he figured was needed and placed it on the counter. Conchita made a bright smile and rang up the payment, handing back change. He felt the male's eyes on them quietly, but said nothing, even as Conchita ran off to complete the order. He looked at the counter in feigned curiosity, and tapped his fingernail on it. He felt the male shift in his place.  
"You really, um, d-didn't have to, you know," he broke the silence. Lith glanced over his shoulder, shrugging a bit.  
"I know." He replied. The male's eyes had a look of discomfort, but also looked curious. Lith almost didn't pull his gaze away when he willed himself to; the male's eyes were just... alluring.  
Alluring? Had he ever used that word before?  
"So, um... I'm Dustin," he heard from behind. He glanced over again. The male made a small smile, trying to hide the lingering discomfort. Lith blinked and hesitated.  
"I'm Lith," he responded softly. Dustin tilted his head.  
"Liz?" he questioned.  
"N-No, Lith."  
"Oh. That's a weird name," Lith must've made a look of disgust or something similar, as Dustin suddenly had a panicked expression, "B-But it's nice! Kind of suits you." Lith shrugged lightly. 'Strange...' His eyes wandered towards the backpack. It seems to be bulging with whatever was shoved inside. Dustin must've noticed, as he stepped in front of it after.  
"Sorry, I'm just really unorganized and stuff. I-If you want me to, I can pay you back when I find my wallet," he told him quickly. The blackblood shook his head.  
"It's fine... For all you may know, it could've been lost," he responded gently. Dustin frowned a little.  
"That's true... But I feel bad still."  
"Here’s your order!" Conchita was back to the counter, carrying a small cup in her small hands. Lith turned to her and smiled lightly, taking the cup. She returned it and waved past him to Dustin. Dustin seemed to be caught off guard, but waved back. The blackblood felt the cup's warmth as he gave it to Dustin, not quite looking at him. Dustin took the cup and smiled warmly. His face seemed to glow with a positive energy that startled him. Lith felt his heart skip a beat, and then another beat. 'Precious...' Precious? He steeled his expression quickly as he walked back to his seat. His coffee cup was still positioned there were he had last left it. Steamy air wafted out gently, swaying in a calming motion upwards. He felt the thumping of his heart against his chest, feeling suddenly so flustered.  
Flustered? When was the last time he'd felt that way?  
A familiar face seemed to materialize in his mind's eye. His shoulders tensed.  
"..."  
"E-Er, Lith!"  
Lith was glad to break from his posture, looking over his shoulder. Dustin walked over to him, his backpack slung loosely onto his shoulder.  
"Do you, uh, mind if I sit here too?" He asked, seeming hesitant.  
"Uh, sure," the blackblood responded. He cursed almost immediately after, mentally of course. He had wanted to say no, or say something like 'I was about to leave' or 'I'm very sick'. Neither of those sounded very convincing, though. He kept his lips tightly together as Dustin slid into the seat across from him, placing his backpack on the floor next to him. He put his coffee down on the table and smiled coyly. Lith bit the inside of his lip. 'Why precious...??' He glanced down at his coffee, just staring into the steam.  
"This place is pretty nice, don't you think?" Dustin suddenly asked, lifting his cup and sipping it. It seemed like he didn't want an awkward silence to settle. Lith nodded.  
"Yeah... I've been here a few times before," he responded softly. Not looking up, he saw the cup being placed back down.  
"Oh, have you? That's cool. Then, you must live around here. R-Right?" Dustin looked at him curiously. Lith blinked and looked up.  
"Uh... yeah."  
"That's cool. With the beach nearby and stuff, it's a pretty cool town place," It seemed like he was trying to say anything at this point. Perhaps not to be prodding...? 'But why would he be prodding?' he wondered. His eyes wandered to Dustin's backpack, then to his coffee.  
"Do you live around here...?" he questioned in response. Dustin shook his head.  
"I, uh, well I'm at a hotel down the street that I checked into a while ago," he suddenly gasped, "Maybe I left my wallet there..." His cheeks flushed and he reached up to scratch his head. Lith blinked.  
"O-Oh, I see. So... visiting?"  
"I guess so. I, um... kind of wanted to rent a place here or something, but I'm not sure where to start," he chuckled sheepishly. Lith frowned.  
"I see," he took a sip of his coffee carefully. He noticed Dustin had his eyes on him still, and he felt unnerved. Placing the cup back down, he didn't lift his eyes back up.  
"..."  
"...Can I ask how old you are?" Dustin suddenly asked.  
"Uh, 21," the blackblood responded lowly.  
"Oh wow, you look younger! I'm 19," the male exclaimed, smiling softly. Lith blinked. He didn't think Dustin was still in his teens. Well, although it's almost 20. He didn't think he himself looked younger than his age though. His cheeks flushed a light grey. Dustin looked at him curiously.  
"Er, are you okay? You look kinda grey," he asked, his eyes furrowing. Lith tensed, and he felt his cheeks grow colder with his embarrassment.  
"I-It's nothing. I, um, I just remembered, I have work to do today," he stammered, getting up. He took his coffee quickly and straightened himself out. Dustin blinked and got up as well.  
"Whaaat? So soon?" he asked, a child's disappointment in his tone.  
"Yes. Um, bye then," he muttered hurriedly, walking to the coffee shop's door.  
"H-Hey, wait!" The male went after Lith, grabbing him by the wrist. Lith perked up and looked at him. Dustin gasped and let go quickly.  
"Y-You're cold... N-Nevermind, here," he went to the table and snatched a napkin from the holder, and slipped out a pen from his pocket. Lith watched as he scribbled numbers down in messy blue pen. Finishing, Dustin handed the napkin to him. It was a phone number.  
"You're a really cool person, and, uh, I think maybe we can be friends?" He suggested, smiling sheepishly. Lith bit his lip, taking the napkin gently.  
"Y-Yeah... Thank you," he thanked softly with a nod. Dustin waved at him softly, then turned to walk back to the booth. The blackblood slipped the napkin into his pocket and stepped outside.  
The warmer, ocean breeze was like a shock to him.


	3. remembering

The room door fell back into the frame behind him with barely a sound. He pressed his back against it and tried to suppress his heavy breathing. His legs ached, but he felt a familiar tightening in his chest. 'Why...?' he wondered.   
Back in his room, Lith had practically sprinted back. He felt a sense of urgency, like he was in danger. Like if he turned around, he would see Dustin there, a smile on his cursed lips. He started to take in deep breaths, slowly and steadily until it was only his throbbing heartbeat he heard. And it hurt.  
"..."   
"Hey, Lith, wanna see something?" His head shot up in response, searching for that voice.   
His voice.  
'What is it?' He remembered asking in response. A small smirk creased Iodyne's lips.  
'Close your eyes first, then I'll show you,' he cooed. Lith shook his head gently in amusement, closing his eyes anyway.  
'Okay.'  
It was dark here, and he heard the whiteblood moving things around. After a few moments, it went quiet, and a pair of soft lips suddenly planted onto his own. Lith pressed back gently, a smile forming as he opened his eyes. Iodyne pulled away and giggled.   
'Guess I couldn't find it.'  
'You're all I'd want to see anyway,' the whiteblood blinked, and an ivory blush crawled around his cheeks. He grinned and wrapped his arms around Lith.  
'You're too sweet for me!' He cooed happily. The blackblood pulled him close and chuckled.  
'Not really.'  
'I love you.'  
Icy tears rolled down his cheeks, and he started to tremble. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly and slid down to the floor, pulling his knees up close. 'I love you so much... I'm so sorry,' he thought in a fog of hopelessness. Whimpers escaped from him softly as he sobbed in that spot. Alone with his sorrow and solitude, he continued to cry, even as his sounds fell silent and his cheeks drowned in tears as his soul drowned in sadness. Surrounded in a stifling cloud of grief, he fell into a dark slumber in that very spot.  
>>>>>  
When he jolted awake, his head shot up, unaware of the door behind him. He only squeaked in response to the impact, trying to gain a hold on his situation. His eyes darted around the room, slowly shaking off the daze his mind was set in. A dull ringing blared against his ears, and he shoved his hand into his pocket. He took out his phone and flipped it open. An incoming call icon flickered across the screen, with a number below that seemed to blur and change.   
He rubbed his eyes quickly and pressed the answer button, putting the phone to his ear. 'It may be the publisher again...' his emotion-drunken mind suggested. He was supposed to report his current status on the new novella... when?  
"H-Hello?" The hoarseness of his voice gave him a start again. He noticed the sun gleaming in through one of the windows, nearing its peak.   
"Lith! Hey- Wait, are you okay?" His eyes widened at the voice.  
It was Dustin.  
"H-How did you-" he stopped to clear his throat, "g-get this number?"  
"Er, Conchita told me you weren't a fan of calling people first, so she gave me your phone number too. Sorry about that. Y-You don't sound okay, is everything alright?" Dustin spat out quickly, most of it a blur to Lith. He retained only the last part.  
"Yeah, I'm fine. You just, um, startled me," he sniffled absentmindedly.  
"Are you sure? ...A-Are you home safe? You sound like you're crying."  
"I-I'm fine, just sick."  
"Sick?"  
"Sorry."  
"N-No, it's fine! Do you need any help then? C-Conchita also told me you lived alone and you have a busy job, and..." Lith couldn't help but to tune him out. He straightened his back carefully and felt his muscles cringe. The ache from before had worsened from this position. He winced and gasped softly from a sharp pain.   
"? Are you okay??" Dustin's tone started to get worried.  
"Y-Yes, I'm fine, I-I just got a paper cut. You don't need to come over either. I can take care of myself..."   
"...W-Well, of course! I mean, I was saying you were getting old or anything like that," a soft but awkward laugh came over the speaker, "But, I just... Conchita said she'd never seen you sick, and you were grey. A-Are you sure you'll be alright?"   
"Y-Yes, Dustin-" Lith paused. It sounded so foreign to him, hearing Dustin's name rolling off his lips. He didn't realize it had stunned his train of thought until the male responded.  
"...D-Did something happen?"  
"N-No. I just, um... It's nothing."  
"...Alright. Call me later on when you're done, okay? W-Well, not the moment you're done or anything. You know what I mean!"  
"Mm, I will. Um, bye."   
"Bye-" Lith ended the call quickly, dropping the phone down to his side. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, beginning the procedure he had done when he first arrived back again. He couldn't focus his mind strictly on breathing, however.  
Dustin.   
"...D-Dustin," he breathed faintly to himself. It felt so strange to him, but it wasn't like he hadn't spoken that name before in his life. 'But why...?' Was it because he had a person to place the name to? Someone he actually knew? Or was it the context?   
Context? He was telling Dustin not to worry. Who else had he... He forced that thought to stop, as he already knew the answer.   
It just reminded him of... him.   
"..." Lith sighed softly under his breath. He stood up carefully, straining his aches and pains until he was on his feet in a normal posture. He stretched his arms way over his head and relaxed. Glad that the pains eased a bit, he touched his face gently. His cheeks were damp and cold. 'Ew...' He ran his fingers through his hair and glanced towards the bathroom door. '...I should shower,' he decided. His hair felt disgusting as well, and he felt embarrassed going out like that.  
Which was strange. It never usually bothered him.  
"..." Taking careful steps, he trudged towards the bathroom. When he took the first step onto the tile floor, he blinked.   
He wore the wrong boots today.


	4. seeking

Dustin's POV  
He stared at the screen of his phone as 'call ended' blinked almost mockingly. He pressed his lips together tightly. 'Damn it...' he gave a heavy sigh. Heavier than he intended. Closing his phone and dropping it down on the bed, he rubbed his face. There was something wrong.  
He could feel there was something wrong, but there was no way for him to find out.  
He had literally just met Lith a few hours ago. He had no right.  
But he needed to know.  
"Ugh," he groaned, walking towards the hotel's window. He was in the room he was staying in for now, at one of the top floors that faced towards the ocean. There were other, more expensive hotels blocking the main view though. But it was still a view. It was getting stuffy inside, so he had taken off his hoodie when he stepped in. He'd have to ask the receptionist about the A/C in the room; it seems like it was always lukewarm inside. The fact that the windows didn't open frustrated him too. It felt like he was trapped in some greenhouse. 'I'll definitely ask, or I'll figure out another hotel,' he determined. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. It was definitely lonely here, that's for sure. He could almost hear the voices of his old friends against the almost silence.  
'Not a problem, I'm sure we can pick someone up to join us!'  
'D-Derik, that sounds like kidnapping! We could just t-talk to people and make friends.'  
"Mm," Dustin hummed absently. That's exactly what they would say. But... he did talk to Lith, though he didn't want to scare him away anymore than he felt like he had already. 'Maybe I should visit him... Oh! Conchita gave me his address thing too,' he remembered. He slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out a napkin. There was scribbled writing on it in red pen, but it described directions to Lith's place. He pressed his lips together. 'This is pretty creepy, actually... But they seem like friends,' he pondered.  
Meh. Information is information, right? Lith wouldn't get mad at Conchita or anything.  
Tossing the napkin gently on a side table next to the bed, he went through his backpack quickly and searched for necessities. He made a pile for the stuff that had gotten in the way. A familiar texture brought relief to him instantly, and he sighed. 'My wallet IS in here! Now I can pay him back.' A small smile creased his lips as he pulled it out, inspecting it quickly before putting it in his pocket. He put his phone and key card in the same pocket after, then picked up the napkin again. Scanning his eyes over the writing quickly, he slipped it into his pocket as well.  
"Okay, let's go," he told himself quietly, walking to the door. This would be either very easy, or very difficult.  
Either way, the air outside his room was pleasantly refreshing.  
>>>>>  
"This must be the place..," Dustin determined with the little breath he had. He was never good with following directions, and walking around Virginia Beach's coastline really wore him out. A note that Conchita scribbled down was 'abandoned,' and this one seemed to best fit the description. 'How would she even find this place without asking...?' he shook his head and scanned the doors that littered the condo. There was one on the side of the building that seemed out of place. 'Is that the entrance door?' he wondered, '...Probably.' Making his way over, he stole glances in the view of the horizon behind him. It was nice, and to live this close to the coast? Lith surely had good taste in abandoned places.  
"..," he frowned. That was wrong to say. He had no idea about how Lith came to be in that place, or if he even had a choice. A deep feeling of guilt started to grow. He felt torn inside. But why? '...' Stepping up to the door, he opened it and peeked inside. He was right; inside was a hallway that led along the edge, lined with doors to the condo rooms. It was an unusual setup, but simple. The stairs were on the right of him, and he felt a smile of content upon his lips.  
"Jackpot," he said under his breath. That was something Derik would say, and he had adopted it from his friend. Taking careful steps, Dustin made his way up the stairs. He held the railing with one hand, pulling the napkin out with the other. 'Was it the third floor- Oh, yeah,' he slipped the napkin back in after quickly glancing.  
Once reaching the third floor, he stopped and listened.  
"...?" There was a sound of water running through pipes, like someone was using the water. He let out a relieved sigh. Lith must be using the water or something. It was a sign of his presence, and that was all he wanted. As he followed the sound of the pipes, in an effort to figure out which room Lith stayed in, he couldn't help but wonder what the blackblood could be doing. 'Maybe washing dishes, laundry? ...Oh god, if he's taking a shower-' he felt his cheeks start to burn with embarrassment. That was probably the case with his luck. Plus, Lith's appearance wasn't the best; his hair was messily pushed into normal parts and his eyes had a spacey look to them. It was like he had gotten out of bed and straight to the cafe after getting dressed. Not that he had looked terrible; he still looked surprisingly young and... attractive. Dustin bit his lip, as if he had said it aloud by accident. He was never interested in a guy before. Hell, he was never interested in dating at all. Just some playful flirting here and there, but all halfhearted and friendly.  
He felt something... different with Lith, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Frowning, he paused in his footsteps. 'What is it anyway...? I'm acting strange..,' he wondered, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. That was true. He usually wouldn't go after someone like this, information given and worried about them or not. There was just something special whenever he looked at him.  
"...!" Suddenly, he heard a dull thud from nearby, to his right as if from one of the rooms. He looked in the direction, spotting a door in its place. 'That room...? I wonder what happened...' he walked over with careful steps and a sense of determination. 'Lemme knock first.'  
He scanned the door to see if it was open at all; to his relief, it wasn't. Mustering up most of his courage, he knocked on the door loudly. He pulled his hand away quickly, feeling embarrassed. 'Damn, that was loud,' he began to regret. He stood at the door for several moments.  
"...?" Suddenly, he heard the pipes turn off. He perked up quickly. 'He must've heard me!'  
Now, he just had to wait.


	5. unwelcome

Lith's POV  
"Shit..."  
Lith winced in pain as a plastic bottle of conditioner fell, making a loud echoing bang in the shower. He quickly picked it up and placed it back on the shelf, taking breaths to calm his already racing heart. Things falling in the shower was something he very much hated. Almost as much as taking the actual shower. He reached for a bar of soap, holding a washcloth in his other hand. As he lathered the soap on the washcloth, his eyes drifted to the rising steam in a small crack through the curtain. He hoped it wasn't scalding, for humans that is. Most of the time, he wasn't able to tell.   
Lith's mind drifted off into other thoughts, as it usually did in this time. But by other thoughts today, it was about Dustin. He bit his lip. It still confused him. 'Why is he still on my mind...?' he wondered. It was a while ago since Dustin had called. Did he really not have anything better to think about? A frown tilting his lips, he finished up cleaning himself without another word spoken aloud. He distantly heard the male's voice in his thoughts, how childishly worried he had sounded through the phone's speaker. He wondered if Dustin was still worried to this minute. 'That's... pathetic. Why would Dustin be worried?' He shook his head. 'We had just met, he shouldn't be worried for too long. I'm sure he has other friends and purposes to take care of at... his hotel room?' Lith rinsed his skin gently, freeing it from the soap suds that collected. His skin began to flush a grey color. 'I think it was, Dustin said he must've left his wallet there... Dustin...' He closed his eyes tightly. 'D-Damn it, what am I thinking about him for?! Just clear your mind already... Deep breaths-'   
In the midst of his train of thoughts, a sharp knocking from somewhere shattered his focus. Lith flinched, his hand reaching out to the tile wall beside him.   
"!?" He could hardly hear over the shower running and his heart drumming in his ears as he tried to listen. 'What was that?? Was that the front door...?' His eyebrows furrowed. 'Who could be... Oh no.'   
Dustin.   
It had to be Dustin. Lith bit his lip, his thoughts immediately scattering. 'What do I do? I told him not to come, I said I would call back, why did he come?? He's going to want to know how I am- For hell's sake, I'm not even decent!' In his growing frustration, he turned the shower's lever into the off position, cutting off the water's flow. He felt somewhat less stressed as he stepped out. He grabbed a towel from a nearby rack to dry his hair. 'Calm down, it's alright... If he had any sense, he would wait for me to come to the door. That would be just plainly rude to barge in, especially uninvited...' Lith continued his internal monologue on the path to a calmer state as his body shivered. He could see the water droplets turning to a frosty slush against his skin, dabbing at them with the same towel. Deciding that he shouldn't take too much time to dress, he summoned shadows. The shadows wrapped around his figure delicately, forming into temporary clothing, more specifically a black t-shirt and shorts. It was a technique he had practiced and knew by now that the magic would not release unless he allowed it to. And he would most certainly not allow it. With a final deep breath, Lith stepped out of the bathroom and towards the front door. He ceased his monologue as he reached for the door knob. He felt the urge to hesitate, but convinced himself to pull the door open. He looked up. He was about to scold Dustin for dropping by despite being told not to, but his words caught in his throat.   
"O-Oh, hey Lith! Uh, I can explain how I found your house, and uh, why I'm even here, I guess," Dustin stammered, making a sheepish smile, "D-Did I interrupt you?" Beads of sweat made his fair skin look shiny, glistening in the sunlight that shone in. His clothes were clinging to that skin, and he looked like he'd been walking around a lot. There was a hidden relief in his eyes that matched the sky.   
"N-No, um, I was only getting out," Lith breathed, looking away from him. His heart pounded painfully hard, and he wished it would calm itself already.   
"Um, come in," he formed quickly, stepping aside. Dustin made a softer smile and stepped inside. He was quickly distracted by the interior of Lith's home as the blackblood shut the door silently behind him. He tried to force down a deep breath before Dustin could notice his unease and looked over his shoulder.   
"Your place is actually kinda nice," Dustin thought aloud, "W-Well, not that it wouldn't or anything! It's just-"  
"Empty here, I know," Lith finished his thought, walking over to his side. The height difference also made him uneasy; he hadn't noticed before that Dustin was taller by almost an inch. Dustin looked back towards him, tilting his head.   
"Do you like being alone, o-or did everyone just move out?" he asked. 'Honestly neither, but...,' Lith answered silently. He shrugged in response. Dustin raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything more on that. Instead, his face started to express a stronger curiosity.  
"Do you take cold showers?" he asked. Lith blinked.   
"No, why?"   
"There's, um, frost on your hair." The blackblood felt a chill run down his spine, and he ruffled his hair. He cursed at the tiny prickles the frost made against his fingertips.   
"T-That's normal. It gets drafty in here, and I just got out anyway," he answered, wiping his hands on his 'shorts'.   
"Drafty? Must be some draft, it's so hot outside," Dustin chuckled, looking off towards one of the windows in the room, "But, uh, your hair looked pretty cool with the frost in it. Kinda spooky, right?" Lith blinked.   
"I... guess," he answered hesitantly. Dustin chuckled nervously, looking down.   
"...U-Um, Conchita gave me the directions to this place, actually. It's pretty hard to find though," he explained. 'Oh jeez,' Lith sighed under his breath, 'What other information did she give to him...?' Dustin looked concerned, cautiously looking back up at him.   
"Did you, um... Well, y-you did tell me not to come over," he answered himself, scratching the back of his head. Lith gave him a scolding look.   
"Yeah..."  
"Sorry, I was just really worried. You sounded terrible... Over the phone, I mean."   
"I usually do."  
"O-Oh?" Lith looked past him.   
"Mmhm."   
"Oh... S-Sorry. Do you just want me to... leave then?"  
At then, something strange rose up in his heart, and he tensed. It was familiar, but he knew he wouldn't want to remember.  
"I could just go, you know."  
He looked behind him quickly, finding the voice's source not there.  
'Why?' Lith felt colder than usual. Iodyne faced the door sullenly, his shoulders loose.   
'Why not? ...It would save you a lot of space around here,' he mumbled.   
'What space?' Lith frowned deeply, '...You mean the space no one else could ever fill?' Iodyne's shoulders lifted ever so slightly.   
'...Y-You're just saying that,' he protested, his voice trembling with each word. Lith shook his head, walking over to him.   
'No, I'm not. Iodyne, just listen to me for a second-'  
'No! I-I mess everything up, and nothing ever goes right when I do it!' Iodyne whipped around to face the blackblood, 'You know damn well, a-and you're sick of it as much as I am!' His face was streaming with cloudy tears. Lith felt his heart hurt even more, seeing the pain in the whiteblood's eyes.  
'Iodyne, no... You mess up things, that's true, but I would never," he reached up and wiped the tears away gently, 'NEVER want you to leave. Never!' Iodyne sniffled, gazing up at him.   
'N-Never?'  
'No. I love you, Io. I love you so much, I couldn't let you go because of something so... petty.'   
'I-I love you too, baby...'  
As the voices grew distant and the flashback faded, Lith's vision fell to black, and he himself was absorbed into darkness.


	6. fate

Dustin's POV  
"...? Lith?" Dustin called. A worried frown tugged at the edges of his lips upon receiving no response. Lith looked towards the door all of a sudden, and he hadn't shifted his gaze from it yet. Dustin bit his lip. 'What is he doing...?'   
"...D-Did I say something-" his sentence halted when the blackblood suddenly collapsed. He gasped and darted to Lith's side, grabbing onto his smaller form carefully. He nearly let go of him just as quickly. 'What- Why is he so cold??' he winced. Lith's damp skin was frigid to the touch, though he had no goosebumps. Pulling him close despite it, Dustin looked at him gently. Lith's eyes were closed, as if he suddenly fell unconscious. However, his expression was pained, and he looked as if he was in pain. Dustin's eyebrows furrowed.  
"Lith?? Lith, hey, wake up!" he urged, shaking him gently. Seeing no response, he looked around quickly. 'What do I do?? Should I call for help? Does he need help??' His thoughts started to scatter, holding the blackblood closer to his own body. 'H-He's probably freezing or something! Where's his bedroom?' On that objective, his eyes scanned the room. There was the bathroom, a kitchen area, and another door he wasn't sure about. Figuring it may be the bedroom, Dustin shifted Lith into his arms and lifted him up surprisingly with ease. 'He's so light!' he gasped silently. He gulped down some of his worry and walked to that door, opening it. His suspicions were confirmed; it was Lith's bedroom. It was a bit messy, but nothing over the top. There were loose papers on a desk off to the side, and articles of clothing on the ground that may have been recent. Dustin glanced back down at Lith again, to make sure he was still alive or something.   
He wasn't expecting to find him completely naked in his arms. He let out a yelp and averted his eyes quickly. An embarrassed blush suffocated his cheeks. 'H-How is he naked???' he demanded to know. He just had clothes on a few seconds ago. Deciding that he'd never find the answer right this minute, he hastily brought Lith over to the bed. He pulled up the blanket and covered the blackblood with it first, then set him down gently. 'O-Okay, he's in bed now, what else should I do?' He looked around the room, searching for something else he might use to help. There wasn't much of anything else, but there was a window, which he went over to open. As much as he would've hated to open the window in this weather, he wanted to help Lith somehow. He walked back and sat down beside the bed, resting his chin on the edge. Lith's chest was rising and falling unevenly in heavy breaths. It was like he was having a nightmare or something. Dustin bit his lip, reaching out to touch his shoulder. His fingertips prickled at the contrasting air around them and Lith's still frigid skin.   
"L-Lith, hey. Can you hear me?" he called hesitantly. He cupped his shoulder and started to shake him gently.   
"Lith, wake up! God, you're so cold...!" he hissed, letting go. He pulled the blanket up more to cover Lith's shoulders, leaving only his head exposed. 'This isn't going to work...' He cursed himself silently, standing up once again. 'There has to be something here that can help... I don't want to be snoopy, but he's hurting.'  
"It's not snoopy if they don't find out." Dustin stifled a scoff. He could imagine the smirk on his friend's face after saying something like that. 'Classic Derik... He might have a point,' he pondered. He took a more careful look around the room again, stepping around the room as he did. As he might've expected, it was just general stuff around the room. The papers were from possibly one of Lith's newer literary works, and writing utensils were found about as well. After a few minutes, it seemed futile to keep looking in here any longer.   
That is, until his eyes caught on something unusual. Curiously, he reached over and picked it up. It was a light necklace, a silvery chain that hung from a black locket in a strange shape. It was a circle with three wing-like edges pointed counterclockwise. Dustin raised an eyebrow. 'This is kind of pretty... Does it open?' Tracing the edges with his fingernail, he found an indentation and pried it open. Inside, there was a small crumpled piece of paper. He took it out gently and looked at it, placing the necklace back down on the dresser. He began to gingerly open the paper back up. As he did so, he noticed there was an inky part of it, and the texture of the paper felt like old photo paper. It took a few moments, but he finally opened it up to its original shape. His jaw dropped a bit.   
It was a black and white selfie of some sort with two people in it. They looked oddly similar, and the closer person had black hair with darker bangs. His skin tone was also darker and he had a wide grin on his lips, as well as a beauty mark. Lith was the other person, and the former had his arm wrapped around his shoulders. He was also smiling. Dustin's eyes were glued onto the other male. 'N-No way... Could it be??' his thoughts echoed in a coming dread. He flipped the photo over, searching for a description of some sort. He found a brief one: "Iodyne + Lith, 1974".   
'What...? How is that possible?? That can't be 1974... They wouldn't have been alive! Lith said he was only 21!' Dustin held his head, staring at the words. 'And Iodyne...' He bit his lip. He quickly crumpled the photo back up with care and placed it back inside the locket, returning the necklace to its original place. He took deep breaths, holding a hand over his panicked heart. '...Who was he to Lith?' he wondered grimly. A soft sigh escaped his lips.   
"..."  
He felt a sense of guilt fill in his stomach, like a heavyweight. 'I can't believe it was him...'  
'Jesus Christ, man, when are they going to stop airing about this stupid accident?' Derik grumbled, leaning back into his chair. Dustin raised an eyebrow, seated across from him.   
'What accident?' he asked.   
'The one that's been on the news for like, an hour. Look, it's on right now.' Derik reached over and picked up the remote, turning the volume up louder. Dustin looked up at the TV in response. There was a news anchor on one side of the screen while another reporter was on scene. There were the sounds of sirens in the background, as well as officers shouting.   
'I'm live on scene now, it's getting really crowded over here. Bystanders are trying to step on scene while police forces are trying to keep them back. Not sure why they're reacting this way all of a sudden, but there's a confirmed casualty here. The driver is safe, however...' Dustin furrowed his eyebrows.   
'What the hell happened?' he asked.   
'No idea. They haven't even cleared it out yet?' Derik questioned suspiciously. The two continued to listen to the reporter's words. Suddenly, the reporter spoke of getting a closer look at the scene herself, and began to move with her cameraman. Her actions were halted a police officer holding her along with other bystanders back.   
'Ma'am, you can't come in here.'  
'Can you answer some questions about this accident? Why hasn't this scene been cleared up yet?'  
'We are not disclosing anymore information at this time, now step back.'   
'Can you tell us what caused the accident?' Dustin gasped under his breath. In the background behind the officer, there was a group of more officers and what appeared to be a medical examiner around a covered body. There was a tan arm poking out from underneath the tarp, and there was some white substance pooling out.   
'Wait, what the hell is that?' Derik gasped aloud, pausing the news report.  
'T-That has to be the body, but what's that stuff around it?' Dustin added, 'Is that blood??'  
'No way... That's so weird!'  
'What else could it be though? Milk doesn't look like that when you spill it on the ground.'  
'Yeah, no... That has to be blood. There's no actual blood around except for that.'   
'Yeah.'  
'Oh dear, what are you boys watching?' Dustin and Derik both looked over at the older voice.   
'Grandfather! Look at the news report, someone got hit!' Dustin exclaimed.   
'Their blood is white too, and it looks like they're getting the CIA in on it!' Derik added. Dustin's grandfather blinked, his mouth gaping. He looked up at the TV screen and made a look in confusion.   
'Is that so...?' he muttered, 'That's a shame.'   
'Hm? So you're not bothered by the blood??' Derik asked, disbelief lining his tone. Dustin's grandfather shook his head.  
'A person is a person, son. They all have feelings,' he answered, before succumbing into a coughing fit.   
Wait.   
No, that's not how it happened...  
Dustin gasped, snapping back to reality, where the coughing truly came from. 'Lith!' His eyes darted to the bed.   
"Lith??" He ran over to the bedside quickly. Lith was coughing, his hands scratching at his throat. Starting to panic, Dustin grabbed his hands tightly. They were shaking horribly in his grip.   
"Lith, wake up, it's me! Wake up!" he pleaded, trying to keep him still. From the way he had been clawing at his neck, he didn't want him to hurt himself by accident. Suddenly, Lith's eyes snapped open.   
He'd never seen anything quite like what he saw through those fear-filled eyes.


	7. breaking point

Lith's POV  
It was one moment that he was with his love, and then he was in pure darkness the next. His gaze couldn't pierce through the shroud of black, and he couldn't move either. He could barely feel himself breathing.   
Alone with the sound of his thumping heartbeat, it felt like an eternity he was in the darkness. He started to wonder if this was reality or a delusion, if he was even awake or not. There was no way for him to tell. A familiar sense of hopelessness came over him, along with a range of emotions he could not describe.   
After some time, something suddenly changed. Something alerted his senses and he was unexpectedly on edge, but he didn't know why.   
Then, he felt his lungs start to fill up with water. Pierced by the deadly fear, he instinctively reached up and grabbed his throat. He tried to close it in some way, but something was holding him back. His lungs seared from the salt and impurities in the water, and he was immediately overwhelmed. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry out. He wanted it to end, whether by his death or not, regardless.  
"Lith, wake up, it's me! Wake up!" A familiar voice pierced through the chaos, catching every eye of his attention. He wasn't alone. Someone was out there. He wanted to see them.   
He needed to see them. Suddenly, he felt his eyes snap open, and he gasped for air.   
The sight he saw first through his torment was Dustin. His eyes were like an endless sky he could gaze into forever, the eyes of an angel.   
The feeling he felt first was relief, as his lungs were not searing with pain. Still gasping, he lunged forward into sitting, his hands grabbing onto the blanket laid on top of him. His eyes searched the room, and it finally clicked. He was alright, perfectly fine. It was only a nightmare. Just a nightmare. Or something close. During this realization, his eyes filled with tears of relief, and he held his face in his hands. 'Thank god...' He felt his cheeks chill as icy tears rolled down his cheeks, dampening his hands.  
"L-Lith...?" He perked up and looked over at Dustin. His breath caught in his throat. Dustin looked impossibly worried. Those eyes were pleading for reassurance from him.   
"D-Dust..." He could barely speak his name over the growing lump of emotion in his throat. Dustin looked somehow... heartbroken. Without warning, he reached over and wrapped his arms around the blackblood, pulling him close to his chest. Lith grew tense, and his body felt as if it was about to give out. 'So warm...' was all he could process. He wrapped his arms around Dustin in suit, craving to bring his warmth and him closer. He felt Dustin rest his chin by his shoulder.   
"Damn it, Lith, I was so worried...!" he mumbled by the blackblood's ear. His voice was shaky, and Lith was convinced he was speaking the truth.   
"S-Sorry," he choked out beneath his breath. He nuzzled into Dustin's shoulder gently, and he felt the male's fingers run through his hair. It was in a stroking manner, used to help soothe the latter. It was indeed working.  
The two of them sat on the bed together, wrapped in each other's arms. Dustin didn't seem to mind, as the room felt hotter than usual. It was still nothing comparable to his embrace. After several minutes, Lith loosened his grip and let his arms fall down to his sides. Dustin pulled the blackblood away from himself gently, looking at him with concern. Lith looked back at him, pained by the look in his eyes. The male looked stressed, but why? 'Was it all my fault...? Gods, of course, why else would he be so like this for? He's just a human...,' he thought dismally. His eyes were still fixed on those eyes that scanned his face up and down. Dustin frowned deeply.   
"C... Can you tell me what's the matter? Please?" he asked in a low voice, "Y-You're... You look so hurt, I can't stand it." His eyes lowered to the bed, but quickly averted to the side. A pinkish hue crossed his cheeks. Lith blinked, looking down at himself.  
Though he was still covered, he immediately realized that he was naked. He gasped and hugged himself, trying to cover himself up more. 'Damn it, I should've just gotten dressed...!' Dustin made a guilty expression.   
"L-Lith, don't be scared or anything. I didn't see anything p-private. Honest," he blurted, worried the blackblood might jump to conclusions. Lith tightened his grip on the blanket, attempting to summon more shadows to reform his 'clothing'. He felt a spark of an old flame fire up inside him, though it was not warm. It was cold, but just as destructive. It was remarkable how quickly his thoughts could change. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as he glared back up at Dustin. He couldn't help himself.  
"Liar, I bet you were staring while I was out!" he growled. Dustin visibly jumped.   
"What?? No, I wouldn't!" he protested. He looked surprised, and a growing fear was in his eyes.   
"Don't lie to me. I will hurt you, kid, don't think I won't," Lith snapped at him, his voice dripping with warning.  
"I'm not lying, Lith! I wouldn't look at you! I didn't even notice you were naked until I brought you in here!" Dustin's lower lip trembled as he spoke, "Please, won't you believe me?" The blackblood suddenly shoved off the edge of the bed, standing up without the blanket. He was wearing 'bottoms' to conceal himself, but didn't try for a top. Before Dustin could react, he walked around the bed over to him and tugged him up off the bed by his shirt. Dustin grabbed his hand tightly, prying it off.   
"Lith, w-wait! Just let me-l  
"Be quiet! Why should I believe you? You're a stranger, and nothing more! Why should you even care??"   
"Just listen to me! Lith, I'm the one who stuck my neck out over for you and came over here in the first place!" Dustin grabbed Lith by the shoulders forcefully, "I'm the one who wanted to see you again! Why would I do that if I didn't care??" he demanded. Lith winced by his touch and continued to glare at him, tears of his fury streaming his cheeks.  
"You should've never come! I never even wanted you here!" he spat, trying to break the male's grip. Dustin held him tightly in place.   
"Why not?? You should've say so in the first place then!" Dustin scolded, beginning to grow frustrated. Lith growled.  
"Gods, I did! I did exactly that! This is all your fault, Dustin!" he accused, his voice starting to crack.   
"How is this all my fault?? Tell me!"   
"Because all you do is remind me of him!"  
The fighting was suddenly succumbed to a thick, heavy silence. Lith tensed, realizing what he just said. Dustin was in shock, his mouth slightly gaping.   
"W-Who's... him?" he carefully asked. Lith looked away, taking Dustin's hands and pulling them off gently, to his surprise.  
"N-No one. Just... go away," he mumbled. He turned to walk away from the male. Dustin shook his head and snatched up his wrist quickly.   
"Wait, Lith, please!" he pleaded, raising his voice, "P-Please, Lith, tell me who he was to you... If anything, just please." He felt sharp tears rising to his eyes. Lith's wrist was unsettlingly cold, but he didn't try to pull away. It was... wrong.   
"...Stop acting like you know him," the blackblood growled, looking back at him, "You don't know a damn thing about him!" Dustin was taken aback by the poison in his voice.   
"No, it's not that! I know who he was, he was on the news! Right? You know-" He was cut off by Lith yanking his wrist away, turning his body back to him. His hand was outstretched by his side, and strange ribbons of darkness circled his hand. The ribbons merged together and took a form that he now grasped in his hand: an eerily black handle connected to a stiff chain. Dustin's eyes grew wide as they trailed down to see what the chain was connected to: a large ball covered in impossibly sharp spikes. He took a step back, but Lith took a step forward.   
"You don't know ANYTHING!" he snarled. Dustin felt a true fear strike him. The look in the blackblood's icy eyes was unfamiliar, but he looked like he was out for blood.  
His blood.   
He had made a terrible mistake.  
In full panic, Dustin darted to the side, trying to get out of Lith's way. He knew well now that Lith wasn't human, and he may have no chance of escaping. But he needed to try. He bolted to the bedroom door and ran out into the main area. Lith was quick in pursuit and caught up behind him. It was as if he was the male's own shadow. He shoved him down forcefully. Dustin couldn't react fast enough, finding himself face down with the floor beneath him. He tried to get up as fast as he could, but the shadow stopped him before his body reacted. Lith grabbed the back of the male's head, pressing against the floor. Dustin cried out from the pressure. He reached up and grabbed Lith's hand.   
"L-Lith, please, stop!!" he cried. He dug his nails into his hand, in hopes it could affect him. Lith growled, pressing harder.   
"Shut up!" he snapped at him. Dustin felt like the ceiling was collapsing. At this point, he started to pray it was all a dream, though the pain was very real. He felt searing tears drip down his cheeks, feeling his breath shorten.   
"No, Lith! Please, please, listen to me! Lith!!" he begged, "Oh god, please!! Lith!!" The blackblood froze. Another voice mixed in with Dustin's, one he knew very well. Out of frustration, he growled and let go, covering his ears with both hands instead. His weapon clattered to the ground.   
"No! Be quiet!!" he demanded, clamping his eyes shut. Dustin gasped for air, washed by relief from the pressure. He reached up and touched the back of his head, feeling a stinging wetness. Blood. He swore and pushed himself up, looking up at Lith. 'What is he doing...?' he wondered. He shook his head gingerly, climbing up onto his feet. This was his chance. He could escape while Lith was distracted. 'No!' he shouted into his mind, 'I can't leave him like this!' Where this voice came from, he had no idea.   
"L-Lith," he didn't expect his voice to come out so breathy, "Lith, what's the matter?" he asked. Lith's eyes snapped back open, staring straight at Dustin. The bloodlust in his eyes was weak, but he still held a deafening rage in them. Dustin held his breath, staring into them.  
"..." Lith didn't speak to him, but he met eye contact with the male. He couldn't look away from those endless blue eyes of his. Fear and hopelessness were easy to see, but the emotion itself made them... irresistible.   
Irresistible?   
Lith dropped his hands. It felt like a heavy smog had settled on his head, and it was just lifted. 'What am I doing...?' The words slowly put themselves together in his mind, a slow realization. Suddenly, the weapon released, the darkness evaporating into the air and leaving no trace. Lith's eyes slowly lowered to the ground.   
"..."  
"Lith...?"   
"...I'm sorry."


	8. we need to talk

Dustin let out a deep, heavy sigh.   
"This is so crazy... Insane," he mumbled, running a hand through his hair. The blood in the back of his head had crusted, but still tingled to the touch. It has been about an hour or so since Lith retreated into his bedroom. It was hardly explainable. He had only said two words before leaving the male out here by himself for this long.  
"...I'm sorry." Those two little words still rang through his thoughts. The blackblood's voice had sounded so broken. Shameful, even. Dustin bit the inside of his lip. 'Lith... What's he doing in there?' he wondered. He made no movement that he would go in to find out any time soon. He didn't want to risk anything, though Lith appeared to... regret his attack, even. It still made no sense to him. He let out another sigh, scanning the room once again. '...?' His eyes laid onto a vaguely familiar cup on the floor by the front door. 'Is that... That's the coffee cup, from the cafe!' he realized. It looked neglected. He began to wonder if Lith even drank it all.   
Suddenly, he heard the familiar squeak of a door opening. His head shot up and looked over to the bedroom. Lith was stepping out of the room. He was fully clothed now, a white t-shirt and faded jeans adorning his body. The complexity of his skin was emphasized; it was so pale, it nearly matched the color of his shirt. Dustin held his breath. Lith was wearing the necklace, the one with the photo inside. 'Iodyne...' Lith was averting his eyes away from the male as he quietly shut the door. He looked exhausted.  
"L-Lith?" Dustin scrambled to his feet, walking to the blackblood. Lith continued to look away, physically turning his head away from the male's line of sight. Dustin frowned. 'What the...? ...Can he not bear to look at me now?' he pondered. Despite that possibility, he reached out to touch the blackblood's shoulder. Surprisingly, he did without a reaction.   
"H-Hey, are you okay? You were in there a while...," he cautiously asked. At first, Lith seemed not to notice him speaking. Then, he turned his head back in Dustin's direction.   
"I'm fine. Please don't ask again," he mumbled. His voice was a bit hoarse, and his tone still sounded broken. Dustin's mouth gaped slightly, forming into a deeper frown.   
"Lith-"  
"You should leave," Lith pushed Dustin's hand off of his shoulder gently, "It's dangerous for you to stay."   
"N-No."   
"I'm not asking."  
"No!" Dustin didn't mean to raise his voice. Lith flinched at the sudden volume change, raising his head to look up at him. His icy eyes held no more frigidity to them; they were melted, holding an array of emotion. A certain look of disappointment shone through the most.   
"Are you mentally challenged? I could attack you again," he breathed, his gaze darkening as he spoke, "I'm nothing like you've seen before. I tried to kill you earlier. I could do it again, if you aren't careful. And I won't hesitate twice..." Dustin shook his head. He took Lith by the chin gently, lifting his face closer to his own.   
"You won't kill me. Like you said earlier... well, I won't repeat that," he protested, "And you owe me an explanation." Lith's eyes grew wide, and he pried the male's hands off before pulling away. He rubbed his chin.   
"What explanation?"   
"I asked you before this whole fight thing happened. Can you tell me-"  
"No."   
"Please," Dustin stepped closer to Lith, "I-I promise I'll leave if you tell me. I'll erase your number, and we could pretend we're strangers," he offered. Lith stared at him for a few moments, before looking down at the ground.   
"...Fine. Sit down then." The male blinked, then nodded. He sat back down in his previous spot. Lith sat down across from him, tucking his legs in underneath. His gaze fixed itself on the floor again, and there was a moment of suspense-filled silence. Dustin raised an eyebrow.   
"...L-"  
"He was-" The two had begun to speak at the same time, and they cut themselves off quickly. Lith tensed, and Dustin bit his lip.   
"S-Sorry. Go on."  
"...He was my past lover," the blackblood muttered in a quiet tone. Dustin blinked, his mouth gaping a little. He said nothing as he felt a degree of panic bleed into his veins.   
"Really...?" Lith nodded.   
"We were together for... I-I don't know. A very long time," he absentmindedly picked at a loose thread on his jeans, "It's complicated how we met, but... it felt like it was meant to be." Without warning, he raised his gaze back up to meet Dustin's.  
"Why do you want to know about this...?" he asked. The male tensed.   
"I... Talking about it to someone could help you feel better," he answered, "It helped with me and my friends before, s-so it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. Right?" He held eye contact with the blackblood until he lowered his eyes back down.   
"I see..." His lips formed a frown, "There was really nothing that special, I suppose, but then... We had our troubles. I-I still have my regrets..." He cleared his throat, seeming to collect his thoughts for a brief moment.   
"...On that day... I-I had no idea something like that could ever happen. It just seemed so surreal when they called me..." He made a tight fist in one of his hands, his knuckles turning a shade of grey. Dustin's eyebrows furrowed.   
"What did they say...?" he asked. Lith stayed silent for a moment. He released his fist, carefully extending his finger. With a sharp nail from his other hand, he made a slice on the pad of his finger's tip. The male cringed, covering his eyes.   
"D-Don't hurt yourself like that!" he exclaimed in surprise. Lith looked up at him.   
"S-Sorry... It doesn't hurt very much." He lifted his finger up to Dustin's face, "Look." Through a gap between his own fingers, Dustin looked at his finger. An inky black substance began to leak out of the small wound, thick and eerie. He held his breath. A disturbing scent of mint and something sterile wafted into the air from it. 'His blood...!' he realized. Lith pulled his finger back, pinching the wound closed. After another moment of cringing, Dustin dropped his hands down.   
"Y-Your blood-"   
"Is black, yes... And his blood was white," Lith explained. The male stared at him. It made sense why his skin turned grey, but what specifically caused that? Before he could ponder, the blackblood continued to speak.   
"At the scene, he obviously b-bled, and the police authorities called me. They told me that he was dead, and asked why his blood was such a color immediately after... I hung up on them," he added, "And then... I moved away. I-I couldn't stay there anymore. W-Who knows what they would've done to... m-me." His voice cracked at the end, and he hung his head lower. Feeling his heart throb, Dustin reached over and placed his hand on his shoulder. Lith flinched and snatched up his hand quickly. The male nearly jumped out of his skin, feeling how frigid Lith's hand was pressed against his skin. To his surprise, the blackblood merely held it. His hand was beginning to tremble.   
"W-Who knows what they did to him...?" he breathed shakily, placing the male's hand down on the ground with his own. Dustin took his chance to move closer to him, picking up his hand again. He was responded to with a tight squeeze, causing him to bite his lip. 'I have to tell him, I have to tell him right now,' he demanded to himself.   
"Lith, they didn't do anything!" he blurted, a bit too loudly for his liking. Lith's squeeze loosened, and he slowly looked up. Oh, how it hurt Dustin to meet his broken gaze, glazing in confusion. Grey tears were beaded in his eyes, dark streaks lining down his face.   
"W-What...?"  
"T-They didn't do anything to him, honest! Iodyne-" Dustin cut himself off, "S-Shit, he-"  
"You know his name...??" The blackblood's eyes started to fill with a dark dread and fear.   
"I-I can explain! I-I saw him on the news, he was dead and they showed a shot of him and he had white blood around him! M-My grandfather wanted me to go get him and his things, so I learned about him that way," Dustin stammered. Lith made a pained expression, as if pained by confusion.   
"...?"  
"I-I... I have Iodyne's things that he had. And I can assure you, his body vaporized, o-or whatever it did, before they laid a hand on him."   
"..." The words suddenly seemed to process when Lith covered his mouth with a hand, "...D-Do you have his things here with you?" he asked softly. Dustin shook his head.   
"They're in my hotel room... I will bring them to you, I promise," he told him. Lith's shoulders slumped, but he couldn't tell if he was relieved or disappointed.   
"Okay..."  
"...I have a request, though." The blackblood stared up at him, his eyes seeming to question without words, "I-I can leave now, but... I want to come back much later. C-Can you try to get some rest between then?"   
"Why...?"  
"You look... terrible. You need some rest. I-I can tell you've been through a lot today."  
"..." Lith nodded slightly, "Okay."  
>>>>>  
"Um, I'll see you later then. See ya!" Dustin waved softly. He was now standing by the front door, on his way to exit. Lith stood nearby. He made a small wave, but spoke no words. After realizing, Dustin made a slight smile and left his home, shutting the door behind him.  
"..."   
Everything was purely silent in the moments after his departure. And surprisingly, it pained him. Lith reached up, rubbing his face. Dustin was right. He had been through a lot today, and was in desperate need of sleep. He quietly walked back into his bedroom. Taking off only his pants, he slipped into bed. The blackblood felt a groggy feeling come over him, letting his eyes fall shut. '...How come he could tell?' he wondered. '...Conchita noticed it too, actually. I guess I do need sleep...'  
As his thoughts trailed off, he began to fall asleep shortly.  
>>>>>  
Holding the stairway railing tightly, Dustin stepped downstairs without any enthusiasm to leave. He knew he had to, but he didn't want to leave Lith alone like that. Hurting. 'He'll be fine. He's been okay for the past whatever, I don't think some alone time would-' His thoughts were interrupted with a figure walked out in front of him from a corner he was about to turn. He promptly bumped into the figure, stumbling backwards with a gasp.  
"S-Shit, sorry!" he apologized, looking at them. Through the startled glaze his mind wore for a few more seconds, he saw that it was another male.   
His eyes were covered by inky black locks of hair, the bangs and other tips of his hair a golden yellow. Some of his hair was tied back into a small ponytail. His skin was a dark caramel color, and he was taller than the former. A necklace with a dark bronze locket on the end dangled from his neck. For some reason, Dustin immediately felt intimidated. The stranger had tensed up when Dustin bumped into him, and now just relaxed.   
"Shit, don't worry about it. You okay?" he asked in a husky voice. His accent was something foreign, but he couldn't tell what it was. Dustin nodded.   
"Y-Yeah, thanks," he responded quietly. The stranger tilted his head. It didn't help that Dustin couldn't see his expression at all.   
"...Say, do you live here?" he asked.   
"Uh, no. I was just hanging around here and came inside for a second. Why?"  
"Oh. No reason." 'Oh my god, what if he's coming for Lith??' Dustin realized, suddenly worried. 'Who is he anyway?? Could he be...?'   
"W-What's your name?" he abruptly asked. The stranger would've blinked, he bet. He made a small smirk.   
"It's Buka. What's yours, little guy?" he answered. Dustin felt his eyebrow twitch.   
"I'm not that little! And it's Dustin," he countered. Buka chuckled with a shrug.   
"Okay, okay. Nice to meet you, kid."  
"I'm still not that little!"  
"Pfft, you look that little."  
"Not really."  
"Okay, don't get all worked up," Buka pat the male's head surprisingly gently, "See you around, right?" Dustin stared at him.   
"Uh, yeah," he nodded. Buka made a bit of a smile before taking his hand off. He walked down the hall with the ground floor room. Dustin watched him for a few moments before taking his leave out of there. On second thought, maybe he shouldn't leave Lith alone for too long.


	9. the past

Lith's POV  
It was like an endless ocean. There was nothing but the ocean; no start, no end, just the ocean. It was a deep, eerie blue that he didn't trust, though there was nothing that he shouldn't trust about it. Just the color. It didn't look like there was any form of life inside, like dead water. There was no way to prove that, however. This scene played out for what seemed to be an eternity, with nothing happening except the waves crashing and washing back and forth. It was oddly peaceful. In a certain sense, he supposed. It felt somehow... suspenseful. As if something was coming for him. He couldn't see anything wrong with the scene to think that though. '...' Suddenly, he felt someone's hands wrap around his waist, making his heart jump with pain. He opened his mouth to scream, and thusly woke up.  
"H-Hey, it's just me! Lith, can you hear me?" It was a husky voice that spoke. Nearby, he could smell a particular scent of cinnamon and alcohol. Feeling the warm voice breathing down his neck, he clawed at the arms around his waist. He couldn't find the power to dig his nails into the mildly warm flesh that touched him. He pried his eyes open from their sticky slumber, snapping his head back to take even the slightest glance.  
It was Buka. Even through his sleep-drunken vision, he knew it was him without a doubt. He couldn't take his eyes off of him, his mouth agape.   
"B-Buka...?" he breathed. Buka's mouth moved to respond, but no words came out. He felt the arms around his waist tighten, the latter holding him closer into an embrace.  
"Damn it, Lith, you sure know how to disappear," Buka murmured. The blackblood's first instinct would've been to shove him away, but considering the situation, he let it be. He arched his back upwards into sitting and clung to the latter. The texture of his clothing was a bit rough from age, but it felt blissfully reminiscent. In the few moments of their embrace, he realized how long it's been since he felt at home. Though, there was only a portion of it left.   
"Lith?" Buka called gently. His voice was like the scent of a french vanilla candle: sweet and incredibly relaxing. Lith felt the sting of tears in his eyes. He nodded, not sure what words he could reply with. It didn't seem any string of words could express how he felt. Buka seemed to notice this, luckily. He reached up and began petting his hair gently.   
"There, there... Don't go crying on me, pumpkin," he cooed. Lith felt his lip twitch.  
"S-Shut up," he choked, clearing his throat. He dabbed at his budding tears before taking another glance up towards the male. Buka's mouth tilted into a sheepish smile.   
"That's the spirit... Hey," he continued stroking the latter's hair, "How have you been? You seem pretty... roughed-up," he asked. Lith stared at him for a moment before chuckling bitterly.   
"Terrible," he mumbled, "B-But... I'm happy you're here." Buka's smile faltered a bit.   
"I see... I, um, I heard what happened to Io... Hell, everyone heard about it. The boss has been going crazy about you, being missing and all," he explained, "...You haven't been alone all this time, have you? It's been like, what, 3 years?" The blackblood frowned. A thought of Dustin crossed his mind.  
"...Well... I guess not, no," he answered with hesitance. Buka tilted his head.   
"Hmm? Did you make any friends?" he questioned, catching on quickly.   
"K-Kind of?"  
"Are you going to tell me about them?" Buka made a playful smirk. Feeling the mood lighten ever so slightly, Lith nudged his arms away.   
"Maybe."  
"Aw, come on, please?"  
"...Sure. Can I get up first?"  
"Okay, okay. You gotta tell me everything though."  
"Mmhm."  
>>>>>  
It only took roughly ten minutes for Lith to get dressed and lead his 'guest' into the main room. Buka sat down on the couch, whereas the blackblood retrieved his abandoned coffee cup before sitting down next to him. The male made a curious gesture.  
"You drink coffee now?" he asked. Lith shrugged.  
"When I'm in the mood... Want to try it?" He held the coffee out to him. Buka took the coffee and made a small sip. He flinched almost immediately, covering his mouth with a gloved hand.  
"Holy shit, Lith, that's spicy!" he coughed. Lith blinked.  
"Oh yeah," he remembered. His trip to the cafe felt like a long time ago. Buka wiped his mouth, handing it back to the blackblood. Surprisingly, he chuckled lightly.  
"Jeez, your taste hasn't changed a bit," he mused. Lith couldn't help but smile in return.  
"Yeah."   
"Heheh. Anyway," Buka leaned closer to the blackblood, "Who did you meet while you were MIA? Wait no, what did you do the whole time?" Lith placed the coffee in his lap.  
"Well... I write books now," he started, "So I have this publisher lady who calls sometimes."   
"Whoa, you're an author? Are you famous?"  
"Not really."  
"Aw. Is this publisher lady cute?" Lith shrugged.  
"I haven't noticed. She seems ordinary, but she really likes rabbits," he answered.  
"What's her name?"  
"Um, Miss Moretta is what I call her."  
"Ooh. I might have to hit her up sometime." Buka smirked.   
"I suppose."  
"Anyone else?"   
"Um... There's a girl at this cafe nearby that I go to. Her name is Conchita."  
"You're a real ladies' man, pumpkin."  
"Don't," Lith protested gently. Buka couldn't help but chuckle. Then, a thought seemed to cross his mind.  
"Hey, this place is pretty empty, but there was this kid who ran into me on my way up. Did you see anyone recently?" Lith's expression faltered, hesitating.  
"U-Uh... yes," he replied, "I met him today. His name is Dustin."   
"Oh wow. He's adorable, but I think I scared him," Buka admitted sheepishly. Lith scoffed.  
"Good job," he congratulated sarcastically.   
"Hmm..." Though concealed, the blackblood could feel Buka's eyes staring, "What'd you two do today?" The question made him tense.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, did you two have a little party in your room? You didn't have your pants on," Buka questioned with a devilish smirk. Lith felt his cheek burn with his frigid blush.   
"Of course not! You know how I sleep, idiot!"  
"You totally like him though."  
"Excuse me?" Buka tried to stifle a laugh. Lith glared at him weakly, crossing his arms over his chest.  
"I don't. He's just a friend," he muttered sharply.   
"And I'm the president of the United States. I know you too well, Lith," the male cooed, "Okay, how about this. If you admit it, I'll promise to keep it a secret. Capiche?"   
"No."  
"Pleeease?" Lith shot him a more dangerous look.  
"I don't have those kind of feelings for him," he denied once more.  
"Yes you do."   
"I'm going to throw you out of the window if you don't stop."   
"Okay, okay. But for the record-"  
"There is no record!" the blackblood hissed. Buka made a sheepish look.  
"Okay."   
"...Hmph."  
It was quiet for the moments after their disagreement, and awkward silence settling over. Lith lowered his gaze down to the coffee still wedged between his legs.  
"...Sorry," he apologized, "I don't mean to snap at you or anything." Buka seemed surprised.  
"What? No, it's alright," he dismissed. He reached over and wrapped his arms around the blackblood.   
"You're just really tired, I bet."   
"Yeah."   
"...It must've sucked being away for all of this time," the male frowned, "How did you cope with Io's...?" Lith continued to stare at the coffee.   
"...I don't think I did," he admitted.   
"Lith... I-I know I'm not the best person for you to talk to or anything, but-"  
"You're the only person I could talk to," Lith cut him off, "I can't talk to the boss. She won't care about how I feel, nor would anyone else at work. And D-Dustin's just...," his eyes narrowed, thinking back a few hours ago, or whenever he spilled his story to Dustin, "He's just a poor human. He doesn't need to deal with this."  
"I...," Buka didn't bother to finish his thoughts. He pulled Lith closer into his embrace, his grip tightening. Lith clung to him.   
"...I know I've always hated you, but I'm sorry," he apologized once more.   
"I don't blame you, I did pull some dick moves before," Buka admitted, "But... don't be sorry. I want to make it up to you."  
"Why?"  
"Because I care about you. You both were like my family." Lith made a bitter chuckle, one without a smile.  
"Some family we were..."   
"Okay, maybe you have a point. But now it's just us... We have to stick together, right?" Buka looked at the blackblood. Lith nodded.  
"Mm..." He sighed, practically melting in Buka's arms. It felt nice to have someone to hug and be hugged by again. They hugged for several more moments, basking in their own company without any awkwardness. Lith couldn't believe that it's been over 3 years since they'd seen each other. Buka didn't exactly change much, but he noted the ponytail tied back.   
"Your hair got long," he mumbled. Buka made a soft smile.  
"Yeah, I didn't feel like cutting it," he explained. Lith chuckled. He would've added more to his observations when a knock at the door caught his attention. He loosened his grip on the male, his head snapping in the door's direction. Buka seemed curious as well.  
"You expecting anyone else today?" he asked lowly. Lith's mouth drooped open.   
Through all the confusion of waking up to Buka in his home, he had forgotten that Dustin was supposed to come back. With Iodyne's belongings. The blackblood remained tense.  
"Lith...?" Buka questioned, his tone worried. Lith shook his head.  
"U-Um, I'll get it," he decided. He stood up and stepped towards the door, fixing his hair with his fingers. Once in front, he took a small breath before opening the door a small margin.   
Lith tensed.  
It wasn't Dustin standing there.


	10. old friends

Standing just outside the door, Lith could see a younger male.  
Most of his sunny blonde hair was stuffed messily underneath a grey beanie, his bangs side swept to his left tipped with black. His eyes were a slate blue, accented by freckles that flecked across his cheeks and beads of sweat. He wore a dark blue hoodie with a subtle graphic on the chest and similar jeans. It looked uncomfortably warm for him to be wearing it. Reacting to the door opening, he glanced up to meet Lith's gaze accidentally. He seemed startled.  
"Oh, hey," he greeted, "Um, is my friend Dustin inside?" he worded cautiously. Lith felt his heart drum gently in his ears. A thousand different questions swarmed to be the words formed in his reply, but he hesitated. He opened the door open more, and he could hear Buka moving in the background.  
"Er... N-No, actually. Sorry," he disclosed, "He should be at his hotel room by now." The male seemed to wilt at the answer.  
"Damn it. Okay... But he was here, right?" Lith nodded. The male relaxed a bit.  
"Good. Um, if he comes back before I run into him, tell him that Derik stopped by," he requested. Once more, the blackblood nodded. The male, whom he could safely assume was Derik, took a step back, making his departure back down the hallway. Lith frowned. One of his primary questions was how Derik found where he lived, though thinking of it now, it may have been Conchita's doing. Shaking his head, he stepped back inside the room and closed the door.  
Buka was standing up nearby him, making a curious gesture.  
"Who was that?" he asked. Lith shrugged.  
"A friend of Dustin's, I believe," he replied, stepping towards the taller male. Buka still looked curious, but seemed to disregard it. He dropped his gesture and gazed towards the blackblood.  
"Um... Lith."  
"What?"  
"Though I've really been wanting to see you again for these years, the, um, only reason I was allowed to go searching for you is due to the boss." Lith blinked. The boss. A strong woman of short stature comes to mind immediately. He doesn't think too much of her herself; if this was the boss's doing...  
"I have to go see her then," he mumbled, finishing aloud. Buka nodded.  
"I know she's the last person you'd want to see, but-"  
"I'll pay her a visit later," Lith ran a hand through his hair, "If she tries anything, I'll give her hell." The taller male seemed surprised by the blackblood's remark, but emitted a hearty laugh.  
"Shit, Lith, I love when you talk like that," he commented, "You don't speak your mind enough." Lith stared at Buka, feeling his cheeks cool with a grey blush.   
"If I spoke every thought I had, you wouldn't be here right now," he countered. Still, Buka didn't seem to be concerned.  
"Aw, I guess," he shrugged, "How much later?"  
"When I'm ready."  
"Are you actually expecting someone though?" Lith felt his eye twitch, feeling the conversation begin to take yet another awkward turn.  
"Maybe," he mumbled.  
"Is it Dustin?" Buka gasped, "Wait no, you two had something cute planned together for tonight, didn't you?"  
"Buka, no. I'm serious."  
"I'm serious too, Lithie." Lith gasped under his breath.  
"'Lithie'? Must you shorten my name even further?" he snapped. Buka snickered.   
"Lithie is adorable, and Lith is catchier than Lithium. Talk about a mouthful." Lith crossed his arms over his chest.  
"At least it isn't something like your name. I can't even pronounce it."  
"Ouch. If you're being so sharp with me, how about a little spar before your date gets here?" Buka grinned. Eyes flaring from the playful challenge, Lith huffed.  
"Sounds good to me. Let's head downstairs, shall we?"   
"We shall." The taller male reached out and twirled a strand of Lith's hair as he walked to the door. Playful provocation.   
"I hope your fighting skills aren't too worn out, but I'll go easy on you just in case," he continued to tease while stepping out into the hallway. The blackblood followed close behind, his mind touching back to his attack towards Dustin. He felt a chill of guilt run down his spine and quickly shook it off.   
"Have you been training?" he questioned, curious as to where the male's confidence was coming from. Buka darted down the stairs before responding. He was light on his feet, surprisingly graceful than the blackblood would expect.   
"Definitely," he replied, his tone taking a sheepish edge, "Don't think I'm too creepy or anything, but I thought of you a lot before the boss actually allowed me to go look for you. And training was kind of my way of... coping, I guess," he clarified. Lith stepped down to his side, holding his breath. 'Coping' seemed like an odd way of putting that, and it was here when the blackblood realized he really wasn't the one who was torn about Iodyne.   
It was surprising that he'd completely forgotten how close Buka and the whiteblood were. They were like brothers; they did everything together when Lith was busy, and they had known each other for about as long as Lith and Iodyne known each other. The only difference between Lith and Buka to the accident was that Buka didn't know what happened. 'He must've been so worried...,' he gasped silently.   
"Uh, Lith?" the taller male called gently. The blackblood blinked. He looked up at Buka, the competitive fire diminished from his eyes. Scraping up words to reply with, he made a sad smile.  
"I'm sure he would be proud of you," he spoke in a softer voice. Buka hesitated. After a moment, he recovered and ruffled Lith's hair playfully.  
"Of course he would be. Then we would actually have a fair fight for once!" he chuckled. Lith stared at him. Reaching up to fix his hair, he scoffed, feeling the mood lighten once more.  
"You sure about that?" he challenged.   
"Wait until you see me." Suddenly without a warning, Buka leapt down to the last step, outstretching his hand at his side. The gesture sent a familiar shiver down the blackblood's spine. Strange emerald ribbons drifted from his fingertips, circling his hand similarly as Lith's did before taking a glimmering bronze weapon. Wielding his weapon, Buka twirled it in his hand before pointing it towards the blackblood: a menacing machete with an emerald hilt.   
"You didn't switch weapons, did you?" he asked. Lith shook his head. He took a brief moment to summon his own weapon, eyeing the latter's curiously.  
"You changed the hilt color," he pointed out, continuing down the stairs to Buka's position. The taller male nodded.  
"The brown isn't that appealing by itself," he commented. Lith shrugged, pushing the tip of the machete away from his direction with a finger. Buka chuckled. Instead of continuing further to the ground floor, he shuffled backwards down the hallway.   
'En garde, my love. Come at me!' he suddenly called in a different tongue. Lith recognized it to be French, but didn't think too much of it before darting towards his opponent.  
The sound of weapons clanging together made Lith flinch. With a metallic sliding, Buka made his move. He was quick to move, but the blackblood was quicker. Their weapons clashed again. Lith found himself being pushed backwards, the tip of Buka's machete finding itself too close for comfort each time. He suddenly ducked, striking at the latter's shins. Buka jumped backwards, his landing steps nearly silent.   
"Heh! How'd you like that?" he sneered. Lith tilted his head.  
"How did you get so agile? You were about as graceful as an elephant before."  
"Oi, don't be throwing shade at me." The blackblood chuckled, motioning for the latter to move first. Buka gladly took the offer. Just as gently, he advanced on the blackblood, slicing and swiping towards him. Lith promptly backed away, ducking after the countless swings to dodge. He felt a hard jab to the side of his throat, his breath escaping realizing it was the machete's pommel. Buka's mistake was to pause and savor catching the blackblood off guard. Lith grabbed the taller male by the hand and arm. He dropped his own weapon temporarily, lifting Buka off the ground and tossing him overhead. The taller male emitted a yelp and multiple grunts behind him upon his landing.  
"How the hell did you do that??" he demanded in disbelief. Lith turned to face him, rubbing his neck gingerly.  
"You definitely got lighter, that's for sure," he commented with a smirk. Buka made a pouty look, rubbing his arm before hopping back to his feet. He darted back up to Lith, thrusting his weapon in his face. Lith leaned backwards and lost balance, his back meeting the floor. He found the machete's tip an inch from his face. Raising an eyebrow, he gazed up to Buka.  
"Well aren't you proud of yourself," he quipped. Buka scoffed.  
"Sort of. You're not armed though," he pointed out.   
"Well, I am legged."  
"What-" Without warning, Lith kicked at the taller male's shins. Buka hissed in pain, stepping away with a faltering balance. The blackblood snatched up his mace once more and climbed to his feet. He swung his weapon, close enough to graze the latter's cheek with the spikes. That caused him to dart backwards, quickly reaching the stairwell. Dark brown lines appeared, a coffee-colored liquid oozing from the slices. Lith made a pleased smile.  
"Got you that time." The taller male dabbed at the liquid with his sleeve.  
"Took you long enough," he countered.   
"I wasn't the one training all this time," the blackblood held his neck still, "You've improved by a lot." Unknown to him, a dark bruise was beginning to form on his neck. Buka grinned.  
"You bet. Say, maybe you should write a book about being a fighter on the battlefield," he suddenly suggested. Lith stifled a laugh.   
"Maybe later. I'm already working on something."  
"Aw, what is it?"  
"Alien romance." The taller male gave a hearty laugh.  
"Oh sheesh, that sounds great."  
"It was Miss Moretta's idea, actually."  
"Really? I definitely have to meet her, Lithie."  
"Sure, but don't call me that."  
"Aw, but Lithie-" Lith cut him off with a raise of his mace, bolting towards him. Buka smirked. He jumped out of the way, reaching out to twirl a strand of the blackblood's hair as he passed. Lith wore an annoyed expression, pivoting to face the taller male once more.  
However, he stepped off the edge of topmost step while doing so. He gasped, feeling the floor disappear under his feet before stumbling down the stairs. He let go of his weapon and braced himself for possible injury.   
But instead of feeling the creaky floor, he felt something else underneath him as he landed. Accompanied was a yelp of surprise and a familiar warmth. Hesitating, he opened his eyes.  
The first thing he saw was blue plaid.


	11. magical

L-Lith! Are you okay??" Dustin gasped. His warm arms bound themselves around the blackblood tightly. Eyes widening, Lith looked up at the male. He hadn't expected him to come back so soon, despite the fact that he had no idea how much time had past since his departure. Dustin's eyes were glazed with concern. Before the blackblood gathered his response, the male's eyes wandered to the growing bruise on his neck. The concern in his eyes seemed to flicker.   
"What the...?" he breathed. Distantly, the blackblood heard Buka's nearly silent footsteps patter down the stairs, pausing nearby. Dustin flinched and looked up.  
"Shit," was all Buka mumbled, a hand covering his mouth. His tone wasn't necessarily with guilt; it was more of surprise. Dustin's expression changed to something unveiling a growing anger.  
"You! What's going on?" he demanded. Realizing he could still function, Lith squirmed under the male's grip.   
"H-He's a friend," he spoke, "We were just having a friendly fight. I fell down the stairs by mistake." Dustin glanced back down to Lith, holding his breath.  
"'Friendly fight'?" he repeated, "That bruise looks bad though... Are you sure?" The blackblood nodded. Reluctantly, the male released his grip, letting Lith rise to his feet. He helped Dustin up in suit. His body immediately tensed when the male picking up a plastic bag by his side.  
"Is that...?" He couldn't bring himself to finish. Looking similarly nervous, Dustin nodded.   
"What's what?" Buka suddenly asked. Lith looked over at him.  
"Um... Let's go upstairs first," he replied softly, "I'll explain up there." Buka frowned, but seemed to comply as he turned and began to head upstairs slowly. Lith and Dustin followed behind closely.  
>>>>>  
With Dustin's insistence that the two should tend to their recent injuries, the three were seated on the couch. Lith, with a first aid kit atop his lap, sat in the middle. He dabbed at the scratches on Buka's cheek with an alcohol-soaked wipe. Dustin watched his handiwork curiously, breaking the newly settled silence with a question.  
"Are you two... the same thing?" he asked hesitantly. Lith nodded without a word. Buka seemed to appear equally curious.  
"Wait, how much do you know?" he questioned.   
"Well, uh... Different blood, magic weapons, immortal-ish?" The blackblood paused in mid stroke, glancing towards the male out of the corner of his eye. He didn't recall telling him about the immortality, but assumed that it was an assumption. Buka hummed.  
"Huh. You're a smart cookie," he chuckled. Dustin made an awkward smile.   
"How long have you two known each other?" he asked further.   
"About as long as I knew Iodyne," Lith replied quietly, picking out a few bandages from the kit. Buka tensed.   
"..." He didn't speak, but the blackblood assumed he looked towards the bag Dustin brought with him. It was now placed on the floor by the male's feet. Lith bit his lip, applying the bandages over the taller male's injuries with care.  
"...I suppose I should tell you now," he muttered, dropping his hands down. Buka touched the bandages lightly. He seemed to be waiting. Lith chose his words carefully for a moment before explaining.  
"Long story short, um... Iodyne d-died because he got hit by a car. It was on the news where Dustin lived, and his grandfather wanted him to go find where they kept his body and things. His things are in that bag over there." Buka held his breath. He seemed to be processing the brief summary, sighing shortly after.  
"...I see," he replied quietly. Lith frowned. He reached up to touch his shoulder, giving it a gentle pat. The taller male patted the hand that patted his shoulder afterward, making a slight smile.   
"I wonder how much dust collected on his stuff all this time. I mean, it's been like forever," he mused, "Do you think it reeks by now?" The blackblood chuckled softly with a bitter edge.   
"Maybe." He looked over his shoulder towards Dustin. The male was still seated neatly, appearing to be awkward in this situation. Lith tried to stifle another laugh; the awkward expression on the male's face was amusing to him, oddly enough. Dustin perked up.  
"W-What?" he asked. His cheeks glowed a rosy hue.   
"You looked very awkward. I'm sorry," Lith ended up chuckling, "But, um... T-Thanks for bringing his things over," he added gently. Dustin smiled lightly.   
"I-It's nothing! I don't have any use for them anyway," he replied. Lith smiled a bit. It was quiet for a few moments, not so awkward as it would've seemed. The blackblood gazed gently towards Dustin. He couldn't pinpoint the reason for a sudden change in the male's expression, until he looked back to Buka. The taller male seemed to be staring between the two of them, a slight smirk dancing on his lips.   
"'Ey, Lithie. Why don't you take Dustin with you on your trip to see the boss?" he suggested playfully. Lith scowled at the use of the nickname.  
"No-"  
"'Lithie'?" Dustin repeated with a slight laugh, "That's cute." The blackblood frowned. His cheeks tinted a shade of grey.  
"It's pathetic," he mumbled.  
"Aw. But still, you should take him with you," Buka reiterated.  
"Absolutely not!"  
"Take me where?" The male questioned, "Wait, are you leaving?" Lith shook his head.  
"I have to visit an old employer of mine... I'll come back, but it's too dangerous for you to come along," he elaborated. Dustin frowned.  
"I'll be fine! Promise. You shouldn't go by yourself either," he protested.   
"No."  
"Please, Lith?" The male seemed troubled, "It's not like I'll get myself into trouble or anything." Lith tensed. He'd heard those words far too many times before, making him hesitate to respond.  
"...Alright," he gave in, "But I'm not responsible if you get hurt." Dustin made a sheepish smile.  
"I know, I know. I can defend myself too, y'know," he pointed out. Lith raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He wasn't about to go into any other past topics. Leaning his head back, he glanced over towards Buka.  
"Are you going to come or stay here?" he asked.   
"I'll watch the house for you," Buka replied, "That dude from earlier might come back."   
"What dude-" The blackblood suddenly cursed himself, remembering the brief visit made by a smaller male. Derik, was it?   
"Dustin, do you know a person named Derik?" he asked, tilting his head toward the latter. He winced a little bit from the bruise. Dustin blinked.  
"Yeah, he's my old friend," he smiled slightly, "He moved away shortly after the, um, getting-Iodyne's-things thing, so I haven't seen him in a long time. Why?"  
"He stopped by earlier and asked if you were here," Lith informed. Dustin seemed to gasp.  
"How'd he find where you live??"  
"Probably Conchita."  
"Damn, it sounds like she gives out your address to everyone," Buka chuckled. Lith shrugged.   
"Yeah, she's... unique." The taller male chuckled.  
"You should let me meet her too."  
"She's looks 16, I don't think you want to."  
"Whoa, okay. You make her sound older." Dustin tried not to laugh, while Lith chuckled.  
"Mmhm." He was still gazing towards Dustin a bit. He noticed the male was wearing his hoodie once again. He wondered why; like Derik did, Dustin looked a bit warm in it. He didn't question it, however, the male sapping up the next opportunity for speech.  
"So when do we leave? Where does your employer live?" he asked. His tone was starting to teem with excitement in each word.   
"Um-"  
"You two can use my magic portal medallion to go to our world where she lives," Buka interrupted. He slid a hand into his pants pocket. Out came a small bronze coin about the size of a half dollar, sitting neatly into his tanned palm. It was engraved with intricate designs. Dustin's eyes grew wide.   
"Wait, that can make an actual portal to another world??" he gasped. Lith cringed. He started to wonder if the trip with Dustin would be more difficult than without. The taller male nodded with a grin.  
"It can go to any world! You just have to think of where you want to go, flip it, and let it fall to the floor. Then hop through!" he explained, "Though, you have to be a magic user to actually use it." The last line made part of the male's awestruck expression fade.  
"Aw, damn it."  
"Yeah," With a gentle toss, Buka handed the medallion to Lith, "If I were you, I'd go soon before she has a cow. Not actually though, it's an idiom." Lith scoffed.   
"Fine..." His eyes wandered towards the medallion's surface. He ran his thumb over the engravings gently, concentrating on their destination. He imagined a broad forest, with trees adorned with spiked leaves and pinecones. The forest lay on the littered outskirts of a vast ocean of rusted skyscrapers, clouds of black and discolored smog taking the place of clean air as the result of industrialization. He could almost feel his lungs cringe at the air's filthy taste. Satisfied, he flipped the medallion away from him. The three watched it fall until it landed on the floor with a harsh clatter. The moment it did, a green light inscribed a circle on the floor around it. Through it was a dirt-beaten path.   
"Whoa!" Dustin seemed to lack enough air to handle his gasping. Lith felt no words could describe the look on the male's face, awestruck soon falling short of truly defining his emotion. He felt his lips tilt into a soft smile as he stood up.  
"Well, let's be going," he announced, "After you." Eagerly, Dustin hopped to his feet. He seemed somewhat hesitant at first, but he plunged himself through the portal in short time. The blackblood glanced over his shoulder towards Buka.  
"We'll be back soon," he assured.   
"Tell the boss I said hi," the taller male chuckled. Making a slight wave, Lith snatched the medallion back up before descending down through the portal quickly after.  
The portal closed shortly.


	12. home world

The most noticeable difference was the temperature change.  
It was significantly cooler than the beachside heat in Virginia Beach. A light breeze rustled through the trees that surrounded the two of them. Lith felt a shiver run down his spine. His eyes wandered to the male beside him as he slid the medallion into his pocket.  
Dustin was simply staring at their new surroundings. The indescribable look still etched on his face, he looked like a wonderstruck child.   
Hell, he basically was a wonderstruck child. Lith almost didn't want to interrupt his wonder.   
"Where are we now?" he asked slowly, his eyes shifting to the blackblood. It was Lith's turn to glance around now. He recognized the setting easily; it was the forest he had imagined while concentrating on the portal's destination. Now they needed to find the skyscrapers.  
"Follow me," he replied, "I'll talk on the way." He took a step along the worn path. The male followed in his footsteps obediently. It was a few moments of dirt, pebbles, and dry foliage crunching underneath their feet before the blackblood spoke up again.  
"Not that far from here is a city. It's called Niaeridus," he began, "The headquarters where my employer should be is there, but the people who live there are dangerous."   
"Dangerous? Why?" Dustin questioned.   
"It depends, but it's mainly due to no laws or enforcement to keep them at peace." He heard a sharp inhale from the male.  
"Wait, how are there no laws?? Or is that just how it works...?"   
"Well," Lith hummed in thought, "...This city is on the very outskirts of a large nation. We are technically a part of the nation in a 'union'. Though, since it's only a union that was established not very long ago, there aren't any laws from the nation established here. And given that there weren't any established before the union, nor a specific leader to keep the city under control, there remains no laws."  
"Ohh... That's weird."  
"Debatable. Though, it wasn't always dangerous," Lith slowed his pace, stepping by a shattered glass bottle on the ground, "...but that's for another time, I suppose." Dustin raised his head forward, curiously why they were moving slowly.  
Beyond them was a clearing of the trees, and the ocean of skyscrapers erupted from the ground up. The buildings had a reddish-brown tinge to them and seemed to sway with the wind from a clear display of age. A few feet away from them was littered glass and paper. Lith looked over his shoulder to the male.   
"Now, stay close to me and do not try to stray away. Got it?" he ordered calmly, "I'll let you know when it's safe for you." Dustin seemed to tense, nodding quickly. The blackblood quickened his pace, entering the city.  
Dustin followed closely behind the blackblood, stepping onto the heels of his boots. A thought crossed his mind in the brief moment. He didn't recall Lith slipping boots on before they left. Then, he realized; it must be his shadows, forming similarly how they formed clothes. He must've done so when the male was distracted. Acknowledging how irrelevant the observation was, he turned his attention back to the venture at hand.  
The first few feet they took, it felt like they had walked into a cloud of smoke. The air tasted foul, and Lith began to cough viciously.  
"Are you okay??" Dustin whispered, touching his arm with just his fingertips. Recovering, the blackblood swiped the male's fingertips away.   
"Yeah," he answered in a low voice, "I'll be fine."  
"O-Okay..."  
The city's streets were streaked with litter, unknown substances, and dead things. It was mainly crows and thieving pests that would be pushed against the sidewalk, but it wasn't before long that a body could be seen. Lith advanced past it, and Dustin was left wondering if the person was in fact dead or not. He hoped not and tried not to ponder on it any further. That thought was soon dashed away as more began to turn up. The pavement where vehicles would have driven on was cracked and destroyed beyond possible use. The two ambled their way along the road, though there was no sign of relaxing in either of their gaits. After many minutes of uncomfortable silence, Lith spoke up in a low whisper.   
"There's no people here," he noted, "Strange..." Dustin bit his lip.  
"Where could they be?" he asked in similar volume. The blackblood shrugged.   
"...We're almost there. Stay careful." He coughed a bit more.  
>>>>>  
Almost there was another several minutes before they reached a building that stood out from the rest. Firstly, it wasn't a skyscraper. Secondly, it was pure white and looked far newer than the rest of the buildings. It could be safely assumed that this was the headquarters Lith spoke of briefly as they drew closer to it. Lith stepped up carefully to the front door, opening it easily and letting the two inside.  
The environment felt vastly different from the city outside. The air was much cleaner, most likely ventilated and cleaned, and smelled of lavender and lemon. Lith took a moment to catch his breath. It was relieving to take the cleaner air into his lungs instead of the filth that floated outside. Dustin stepped around in front of him, his face etched with concern.  
"Are you okay?" he questioned again. The blackblood nodded.  
"I'm alright... It's safe here now," he informed. Dustin's concern was clouded quickly with newfound relief. He sighed softly.  
"That's good," he mumbled, "...Lith?"  
"Yes?"  
"Were those... people dead outside?" Dustin's volume lowered dramatically with his hesitance. Lith frowned. He knew it was the bodies they had passed the male was referring to. Taking a moment, he slowly chose his words.   
"...It's none of our concern, Dustin," he responded in a gentle tone. That was all he said. Dustin frowned, appearing if he wanted to add something or ask another question, but he remained silent. Lith straightened his posture and glanced around the sterile environment.   
"This way," he muttered, taking a step down a nearby corridor. Dustin followed quickly behind.   
The hallway before them was long and empty, a numb feeling buzzing through the air. Though cleaner, the air seemed heavy on their shoulders, as if they were in the midst of a suspenseful scene. Towards the end of the hall, there was a door with a different design along it. It was made of a dark wood. Lith stopped in front of it, taking a swift glance to the male behind him before opening the door cautiously.   
Beyond them was a dark, stone stairwell. The steps were cracked from an apparent display of age, stained and littered with unknown substances. A foul odor wafted out like a wall, making Lith cringe. He heard Dustin cough behind him.  
"What the hell is down there...?" he mumbled. His voice was muffled by most likely a hand over his mouth. Lith bit his lip. The question arose in his thoughts as well.   
"Just watch your step," he replied, stepping down to test the stairs. With reluctance, Dustin followed. The darkness below seemed to swallow them, the odor growing in strength. All but the odor wasn't a problem for the blackblood. With the ability to traverse and use darkness as his power, he could gaze through it as if it were light. The male clung to the back of Lith's shirt tightly, contrastingly blind to everything.   
A brief gasp parted the silence. The gesture startled him, and before Dustin realized, the blackblood slipped on a step and tumbled forward. His grip only tightened and he was pulled down with him.   
The staircase was long, and when they finally landed, it was against hard stone floor and strange lumps that barely weakened the impact. Lith emitted a groan, his eyes squeezing shut. The floor was pooling with liquid and it was as if they landed directly into the odor's source. The smell and landing made his head start to throb.  
"Dustin, where are you...?" he called despite it. A weight pressed down against his stomach, feeling like a hand trying to grip onto something.  
"R-Right here," the male replied from close by. Lith sighed, trying to sit up. He pried his eyes back open and reached up to rub the pain from his face. He froze.   
His hands.  
Against his pale skin, a grimy crimson liquid covered most of it. His eyes trailed down his arms, his shirt, down to the floor beneath them. He looked to Dustin as well. There was blood everywhere. Feeling a hard drumming of pain in his head, he looked up and looked all around.   
They were surrounded by hundreds of bodies. Lifeless, drenched in blood, blanketed with insects. Lith held his breath.   
"Dustin, get up," he hissed, turning back to the male. Dustin looked up towards the sound of his voice, confused.   
"What-"  
"Are you hurt?" he suddenly added.   
"N-No, I'm fine." With that, he scrambled to his feet. Lith followed in suit. He grabbed Dustin's hand and without warning, began to step through the horrific mess. Dustin's hand trembled a bit as it squeezed back, though he wasn't sure he was frightened or not. The blackblood wasn't sure what to think.   
"W-What's going on?" Dustin coughed, "Is something wrong??" Lith hesitated before replying.   
"Promise me you won't freak out right now."   
"What? ...O-Okay, promise."   
"We landed in dead bodies." He felt the male's hand go limp for a moment.   
"What?!" he cried out in apparent horror.   
"I said don't freak out!" Lith growled lowly, "I don't know what's going on." Dustin quickly regained his grip, squeezing Lith's hand tightly.   
"A-Are those the people who are supposed to be...?" he asked much quieter than before. His voice was beginning to shake.   
"I think so. It makes no sense...," Lith cursed himself under his breath, "The reason I led us down here was because the boss's office is down here. There's not supposed to be this damn mess." Judging from the tone of his voice, he seemed more frustrated than anything at the moment.  
"D-Do you think they know about this?"  
"Yes. The office is a little further down."  
"O-Okay."   
A brief silence took to the air, only filled with the sound of footsteps, rippling in the pools of liquid. It didn't last too long before the blackblood could hear a small whimper and sniffling from the male behind him. He thought of carrying onward without speaking up, but something started to pain him in that sense. He guessed it was guilt.   
"Dustin," he whispered.   
"W-What?" the male asked, clearing his throat.   
"...We'll be home soon. When we're done here, we can use the portal in the room so we don't have to go through this again," Lith tried to reassure, "I promise." He heard another sniffle from the male.   
"T-Thanks," Dustin mumbled. Despite speaking up, the guilt didn't exactly fade away. Before he could ponder what to do next, he noticed a faint light at end of the long hall. The light seemed to melt away some of the stress of the situation. For him, anyway.   
"Hey, is that...?" Dustin trailed off a bit.   
"It is." As they drew nearer, Lith loosened his handhold, the light flooding the hall from a small room. Dustin still kept a tight grasp on his hand. The blackblood paused before peering into the doorway.   
The room's interior was neat and organized, much like an office setup. In the center was a dark wood desk, a figure hunched over its surface with a long feather pen. Its plume was large in scale, crimson in color with blue and yellow specks toward the tip. It wrote in crimson ink, an ink pot nearby that indicated that. The figure scribbled something down on a sheet of parchment before glancing up. The figure was a female; she looked to be in her late-20s, early-30s. Her hair was wine red in color, short and fanned out towards the bottom as some swept bangs covered an eye, which the visible one glowed a starry yellow. She wore scarlet lipstick that seemed to shine against the light of a lit candle on her desk, and a heart matching in color was on her cheek. From what the blackblood could see, she wore a scarlet dress; he recognized the dress as one of her favorites. As far back as it was, he could still remember that fact, along with her being a fanatic of the color red. He held his breath. The boss's glowing eye seemed to glimmer with a look of recognition, and she released a soft gasp.  
"Lithium!" she exclaimed. Her voice was incredibly gentle and soft, hinted with a strange accent. Lith made a slight smile before stepping further into the room. He felt Dustin follow behind him closely. The boss seemed to leap up from her seat, scrambling around the desk and straight for the blackblood. She caught him in a tight embrace; she was a bit on the short side compared to Lith, and even shorter to Dustin.   
"Oh my stars, you're alright!" she squealed, voice cracking, "It's been so long, I was starting to wonder if you've died!" The embrace itself made the blackblood uncomfortable, but for the sake of the boss's worry and possibly crying, he gently patted her head.   
"I'm still here, aren't I?" he asked gently. The boss sniffled, wiping her eyes with a small hand before she could become a wreck.   
"Yes you are, my dear. I am so sorry for everything, your loss was such a surprise, I just...," she sighed. Lith felt his lips frown, his expression bordering a scowl. He wasn't sure what he was expecting; he knew she never addressed Iodyne by his name, unless he happened to be in trouble. It felt he was just simply 'a loss'. Dustin didn't quite notice the boss's diction, peeking over the blackblood's shoulder meekly. The boss let go of Lith and looked at him gently. Her gaze wandered over his features, sapping up every difference since they last time they had seen each other.  
"Gosh, you've gotten so much smaller! Have you been feeding correctly?" she questioned, her voice taking a worried edge. Lith raised an eyebrow.  
"Yes, if you must know," he answered casually. By 'feeding', the boss was referring to receiving the nutrients necessary to sustain a healthy body. In all honesty, he wasn't sure if he was. His species usually took the nutrients from the air, a large reason why he was affected by the pollution outside, and he wasn't sure if Virginia Beach had an appropriate air quality. Well, he was here, wasn't he?  
"But never mind me," he spoke before the boss could ask another question, "What happened to the city? And why are there so many corpses in these catacombs?" he asked. The boss blinked. Her gaze suddenly darkened, as if matching the subject at hand.   
"I... am not sure myself," she began, "It was only a few weeks ago. Out of nowhere, they started to fight each other. They picked fights with my guardians, but we've had no losses. I ordered a lockdown to keep them safe from the outside, and when it was finally calm, they were..." She trailed off. Lith stiffened.  
"That's not ordinary. Have you tried to find a reason for this?"  
"Yes. I even went out to search myself, but it's as if nothing happened to cause this."  
"W-What if the air had something to do with it?" Dustin suddenly spoke up with a suggestion. Lith glanced over his shoulder towards the male, though the boss had her eyes fixed on a random spot in thought.  
"I doubt that. The air is still filthy as ever, but there's been no new chemicals added as far as I know. The guardians would have noticed," she replied. She seemed to speak as if it were Lith who suggested. Dustin frowned.  
"Oh."   
"...Eh?" The boss suddenly looked up in realization, "Wait, who-" Her gaze landing on Dustin, she froze mid-sentence. She stared for a few moments, her expression turning to confusion. The male tensed, moving behind Lith quickly from her response.  
"Ma'am, this is Dustin," the blackblood started to explain, "He's my friend. He wanted to come with me here." The boss's eyes widened a bit.  
"Dustin...?" she repeated, peering around the blackblood, "As in, Dustin Alistair...?" Dustin tensed, his eyes filling with fear.  
"H-How do you know my last name?" he asked. The boss frowned, tapping her chin in thought.   
"Lithium, how in the stars above did you find this human?" she asked, a serious tone overtaking her voice.   
"Ma'am, he's my friend. I met him yesterday by chance. Why are you asking me this?" Lith replied. The boss looked up at him before answering. Along her smooth lips was a sheepish smile.  
"He was meant to be assigned to a guardian this week, you see."


	13. purpose

"What?"   
"You heard me correctly." Lith felt himself grow increasingly tense.  
"What do you mean he was meant to be assigned, ma'am?" he asked in a sharp tone. The boss tapped her chin gently with the tip of a long, scarlet fingernail.   
"He merely was, but now..."  
"L-Lith, what is she talking about...?" Dustin muttered slowly to the blackblood. He could feel that the male was growing more and more uncomfortable as time went on.   
"Well, young man, mind if I be blunt?" the boss sheepishly tittered, "If you happen to be lucky enough to get assigned to one of my efficient demon guardians, you have a death date to occur within the next few days. Or weeks, it depends. But, in simpler terms." She looked at Dustin directly. "You're going to die soon." The male's eyes widened. He gripped Lith's hand with a fear-filled strength, stepping closer behind him. Lith felt similarly, but the boss's words left him feeling paralyzed. He knew what it was like to know the death date of a person; it was a completely different feeling when it was someone he knew and thought of as a friend. It left a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach.  
"Ma'am, who were you supposed to assign him to?" His voice took on an interrogating tone.   
"Well... I didn't decide quite yet," the boss stepped back to her desk, tilting the parchment she was previously writing on and reading it, "Judging from the details, I was thinking of assigning CeCe or Akina, or perhaps even Percival..." The names she rattled off were familiar to him. He held his breath for the briefest moment.  
"Let me protect him," he blurted. The request made the boss halt in her actions. Her head snapped over to look his way, her expression showing shock.  
"Stars, no!" she turned down without hesitation, "This is dangerous for you, you don't need this burden." The blackblood grimaced at her diction. He wasn't about to take no for an answer lightly.   
"I can complete the job without casualty. With all due respect, ma'am, those guardians you named have been known to fail and be difficult to cooperate with," he pointed out, "I would not be comfortable trusting the fate of anyone's lives with them, let alone a friend." The boss frowned.  
"Lithium, be reasonable. You aren't employed here anymore, don't you recall? I can't assign him to you outside of the workplace."  
"Then hire me back," he took a step further in his argument, "I know you would prefer it to be that way." The boss tensed a bit. The last statement seemed to strike a chord somewhere inside her. A few moments passed before she gathered the words to respond.  
"Are you sure you want this?" she asked gently. Sincerely. Lith nodded with certainty.  
"Please."  
"...As you wish, my dear." The boss made a small smile. She reached behind her head, as if she were scratching at an itch. However, a playing card was between her fingers when retracting her hand back. It was an ace of diamonds. Her lips moved without words, and once finished, the card glowed and gave off a dark smoke. Its form shifted into a small diamond shape, now sitting in the palm of her hand. It was wine red in color. Deeming the process complete, the boss stepped back over to Lith.   
"Place this inside your locket," she instructed, "It may not take effect right away, but it has to be close to you for it to take effect." The blackblood nodded. He reached for her open palm to take the small diamond. It felt unexpectedly light between his fingers, its dimensions noted with the flickering candlelight. He intended to reach up with his other hand, still restrained by Dustin, to open his pendant necklace when the diamond suddenly sublimed into thick black smoke. It appeared that way, but he quickly realized it was actually pure magic as it engulfed him. He heard a faint gasp from the male, the iron-like grip releasing his hand at last. He couldn't tell what the magic's effect on him was until the cloud finally parted. The boss across from him wore a pleasant smile against now rosy cheeks.   
The blackblood was now dressed in a white labcoat. There was decorative black trim on it in great contrast; the sleeves and hem were lined with black, diamond shapes protruding from it, and two black diamond designs vertically collinear on the collar, the topmost one larger than the latter. On the upper left of the coat was a black emblem. It was in the same shape of his pendant necklace. His jeans were replaced with black dress pants that hugged his legs, and knee high black boots replaced the shadows he made. Any evidence that he had fallen down the stairs with Dustin into the pools of blood was now gone; his skin was also pristinely clean. Hesitating, he looked down at his hands and himself, feeling a chill of grey against his cheeks. He looked behind him to Dustin. The male looked startled, fading into curiosity as his cheeks were also rosy. The blackblood wondered if it was the candle's effect.   
"I changed the design a bit. Do you like it?" the boss spoke suddenly. Lith looked back towards her.  
"It's... nice," he replied. Though it was an indifferent response, the boss's smile seemed to brighten by his word.  
"Good. I would like you to wear that while on campus. You can wear your old uniform if you'd like outside." With a turn of her heel, she ambled around her desk and picked up her feather pen. She began to write something quickly onto the parchment.  
"I'm afraid I have to give you the official documents for him. When you're done, please return them back to me," she continued, "I would use the traditional way, but I need to get this place cleaned up. I hope you don't mind." Lith shook his head.  
"Not at all." Once finished, the boss blew on the ink gently before folding it into an envelope shape. She walked back around and handed it to the blackblood. He took it with care. His fingertips tingled with energy from the parchment, causing him to hold his breath briefly. The feeling was very familiar: he was now assigned.   
"All of the information you need is on there," she told him, "But one more thing." Lith gazed at her expectantly.  
"Yes?"  
"I would be more comfortable if you addressed me by my first name more often." The boss crossed her arms over her chest. The blackblood resisted the urge to scowl at her request. As much as he opposed it, he knew she would want something in return for giving him his job back, as well as assigning Dustin under his protection. He tried to keep an even expression.  
"Is there a problem with how I address you currently?" he questioned. The boss made a pouty look.  
"None of the others address me as formally as you do. It's a bit awkward in a way," she reasoned. Lith knew it was a false reason. He nodded slightly to feign understanding.   
"Will do... Aisha," he replied hesitantly. The boss's expression seemed to relax. Her smile edging towards a grin, she leaned up and pecked a kiss on the blackblood's cheek.  
"Good. Be safe, you two," she bid. Lith stiffened from the gesture. He hadn't expected that. Not sure if her lipstick smeared against his cheek at all, he glanced over to Dustin. The male seemed startled as well, his eyes fixed on the boss. The blackblood disregarded the moment quickly and reached into his pocket. He felt the medallion inside and took it out.   
"Dustin," he called. Dustin tore his eyes away from the boss. He could make out the blood-drenched male better now with the candlelight. Despite as much red there was, his eyes were still ever so diligently blue. The blackblood made a slight smile.  
"Ready to go?" he asked. The male nodded quickly, eager to leave this place. Satisfied, Lith looked down at the medallion. He began to concentrate. He imagined the inside of the room he lived in, the kitchen nearby and couch against the wall. He remembered the bag of Iodyne's belongings beside it. At that, he flipped the medallion and let it fall. Through the portal was the hardwood flooring he knew well. Dustin stepped up beside him, gazing into the portal below. His human nature was still affected by the wonder of its power.   
"Do I go first again?" he asked.   
"Mmhm." The two went through the same procedure as before. Lith gave the boss a slight smile in farewell before following the male in suit.  
Now, they were finally home, welcomed by the sound of steady snoring.


	14. good night

Dustin's POV  
A million thoughts were wearing on his mind, but all he could think about now was how Lith looked.  
Looking over his shoulder, he ogled the blackblood as he landed softly through the fading portal. He stood strong, his posture held high and even confident. The uniform he wore now hugged his body as if it were a part of him, clinging to all of the appropriate places. He looked like a different person than before; he looked stoic, rather than... broken. Dustin hated to think of it like that, but he lacked better words. He gulped, climbing to his feet. Lith glanced over towards him. He appeared curious, and he worried if he noticed the male's staring.   
"Um," the blackblood turned to him, "You should probably get cleaned up before anything else," he suggested quickly. Dustin nodded. His hoodie and pants were soaked in the foul blood. He noticed the scent returning into this air and scowled.   
"Yeah. Can I use your shower?" he asked. Lith nodded.  
"I can lend you clothes if you need to... Leave your dirty clothes outside the door and I'll wash them," he added. His tone was oddly gentle with a confusing expression Dustin could barely make out. It started to worry the male. 'Does he feel bad...?' he wondered silently. He didn't bring it up as he nodded, taking a step towards the bathroom.   
Once inside, Dustin locked the door quietly. He flipped the light switch and squinted at the sepia light flooding the bathroom. It was an average bathroom; there were the usual supplies for showering and using the bathroom inside, and it was very organized. He noticed a short stack of bath towels underneath the sink and felt relieved to see more than necessary for one person. Before he took out anything, he washed his hands in the sink. He felt somewhat relaxed watching the blood drain down the sink. Once clean, he took out a towel and set it down next to the shower. He checked to make sure he wouldn't need to go out and ask Lith for anything before slipping off all his clothes except for his t-shirt and boxers. Separating the dirty from the clean, he scooped up the dirty pile and unlocked the door, peeking out.   
Lith had his back to him, kneeling beside Buka over the bag of Iodyne's belongings. Buka was apparently awake now, sitting on the very edge of the couch in silence. Dustin noticed then how dark the room had gotten since he had turned the bathroom light on. It had gotten so late already. He held his breath. As quietly as he could manage, he set the pile of clothes outside the door and closed it, locking it once more. He let out a soft exhale.   
"..." Silent with his thoughts, Dustin stood up and edged to the shower. He turned the handle with a slight creak. With a hiss, water began to rain down from out the shower head in droplets and steam. He slipped off the last of his clothes and stepped into the downpour.  
>>>>>  
He took a relatively short shower than what he usually takes, though he did a lot of thinking. Drying himself off, he couldn't stop thinking about Lith. There was something about him that was glued inside his mind.   
Hell, he wasn't even that concerned about him being due to die soon. As odd as it sounded aloud, he trusted Lith would protect him.  
Oddly enough, he trusted him that much to be less unsettled than he should be about dying.   
It was strange.   
He slipped his clean clothes on while holding back a heavy sigh. His legs and head ached; he needed some serious rest after this. 'I guess... Lith must feel comfortable with me by now. He was the one who wanted to... be my guardian,' he reassured himself, '...Does that mean I have to move in with him?' The thought made him chuckle and flushed his cheeks. He wondered if Lith would approve of that or not, or even living in the same building with him. After all, he couldn't live in a hotel forever. 'He probably won't mind in the same building. I mean, doesn't he have to keep an eye on me now?' he continued to wonder. By the time his train of thought finished, he deemed himself decent and unlocked the door. He peeked out of the bathroom once more.  
Lith was no longer in the room, and neither was the bag or Buka. Dustin cautiously stepped out. The dirty pile of clothes he put out was also gone. He assumed that Lith might have gone out to clean them. Running his fingers through wet strands of hair, he stepped over towards the couch. He noticed there was a lump laying down against the cushions, causing him to stop. It was too dark to tell what or who it was. He convinced himself to reach out towards it to see if anything was actually there after some time. Suddenly, a hand snapped up his out of the nook of darkness. Dustin naturally let out a shrill yelp, yanking his hand away. A hearty laugh bellowed in response and a figure sat up from the couch.   
Buka.  
"Jesus Christ, Buka!" Dustin squeaked. His heart thundered against his chest as the taller male continued to laugh.  
"Oh lord, the look on your face!" he cackled between breaths. Dustin's face lit up with burning embarrassment.   
"Jeez, you scared me so bad!"   
"Ah, couldn't help it, kiddo~" Buka finally began to calm down, rubbing his face with a hand. The male huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.   
"Jeez..."  
"Say, did you just shower?" the taller male asked suddenly.  
"Yeah. I was covered in blood. It was pretty disgusting," Dustin mumbled in response.   
"Whoa, why? What happened?"   
That provoked a brief summary of what had happened on the trip with Lith. He described how the city was like and the catacombs, then about him being assigned to Lith now. Buka was silent for a few moments once he finished.  
"Wow," he shook his head, "That must really suck. How are you feeling?" he asked. Something in his tone told that he was being genuine. Dustin shrugged.   
"Yeah, I think... I don't know. It doesn't feel like I just found out I'm supposed to die soon," he replied.  
"Really?" The male nodded.  
"...I think I trust Lith with it a lot, I guess. I'm not really worried or anything." He heard Buka let out a brief chuckle.  
"I wouldn't be either. He has a good track record for doing his job. I'm not too surprised he stuck up for your placement," he commented. Dustin blinked.  
"Wait, really?"  
"Yeah. I asked him about if you and him were going out and he got all pouty and feisty about it." The taller male's words made his heart thud against his ears. He felt his face grow warmer.  
"O-Oh," was all he replied with. A steady silence held over their heads, the male picking at his shirt's fabric. He wasn't sure what to make of Lith's alleged response, or if Buka was even toying with him in that small aspect. It made him feel uneasy in a lot of different ways.  
"Um, do you know where Lith is right now?" he asked suddenly. Buka tilted his head.  
"No. I just woke up and saw you. Why?" he responded. Dustin blinked.  
Wait.  
"W-Wait, before I got out, he was out here with you and Iodyne's things," he reiterated.   
"What?" The taller male shook his head, "No, no, I was sleeping this whole time. You guys left, and then the sun started to set so I decided to take a nap. I just woke up, kiddo."  
That didn't make any sense. Dustin could've sworn he saw someone out there with Lith.  
"Are you sure...?" the male breathed, "T-There was someone out here with him, I thought it was you 'cause it was really dark." The taller male's form noticeably tensed.  
"No kidding??"   
"Why would I lie about that?"  
"Good point... Did he say what he would do while you were in the shower?"  
"He said he would wash my clothes."  
"I am." Both males flinched and snapped their heads towards the front door. A dark figure loomed nearby: Lith. He slid a hand towards the wall and flipped a light switch, flooding the room with blinding light. Dustin looked away, hissing a bit.  
"Ow, holy fucking..." Buka swore, covering his face. Lith raised an eyebrow. When Dustin's eyes finally adjusted, he noticed the blackblood had removed the labcoat of his uniform, a pristine black t-shirt underneath. He still held a certain stoicism about him despite it. However, something flickered in his expression.   
"Oh, uh..."  
It took Dustin a moment to realize he was still in his boxers. He could only assume how red his face became as he attempted to cover his legs.   
"H-Hi!" he greeted sheepishly. Even though the three of them were all male, he felt uncomfortable having no pants on anyway.  
Lith's cheeks seemed to tint a shade of grey, but he didn't respond. Instead, he could hear Buka trying not to laugh behind him. He shot a quick look over his shoulder.   
"Damn it, Buka, shush!" he growled softly. The growl only provoked more laughter from the taller male. Lith made a slight smile, appearing sheepish.  
"Buka, give him a break. I'll get pants," he assured, walking over to his bedroom. Dustin followed behind him posthaste.   
"He won't be needing pants in the bedroom!" Buka called after them. The male tensed, covering his face with a hand as Lith led him inside. The blackblood now wore a slightly annoyed expression, shutting the door behind them. Dustin hesitantly dropped his hands and folded them over his chest again.   
"J-Jeez, he knows how to embarrass people...," he mumbled. Lith hummed, stepping to his dresser.  
"He does that a lot," he replied, "Though, he doesn't mean to be rude." He opened one of the drawers and pulled out a pair of jeans. They seemed larger than what the blackblood would prefer to wear.  
"Will these work?" he questioned, looking back towards Dustin. Dustin nodded, taking the jeans with a small smile.   
"Thanks." He made haste slipping them on. While fumbling with the zipper, he heard the drawer being closed and the gentle clack of Lith's boots towards the door. Dustin tensed.   
"Lith, wait!" he called softly. The blackblood glanced over his shoulder. His icy eyes weren't so cold towards the male, giving him a curious gaze. Dustin held his breath.  
"Yes?" Lith asked. The male bit his lip.  
"U-Um..."   
Something in him wanted to tell Lith about his thoughts and feelings.  
Whatever those were. Whatever it was ate at him, like it did in the shower, earlier that day, even minutes after he met Lith.   
He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what it was.  
"Dustin?" Lith started to look concerned from the male's silence. Dustin looked back up at him.  
"E-Er, um... What's your last name?" he questioned.   
Damn it. He kicked himself silently for chickening out at the last second. At least he asked a reasonable question instead. The blackblood blinked.   
"Um... I don't quite have one," he admitted, "But I go by Nyopetry. It's an old friend's name."  
"Oh. That's cool," Dustin replied with a small smile.   
"Yours is Alistair, correct?"  
"Y-Yeah."   
"It's a nice name." Lith smiled in return. The male felt as if his heart was melting. It was a sweet smile, unbridled by remorse or some joke. But just as quickly as it came, the smile faltered and a thoughtful look came over his expression.  
"Oh, Dustin. You are staying in a hotel right now, right?" he asked. Dustin nodded.  
"If you would like, you can... stay here with me. If you feel comfortable enough to. I don't-"  
"S-Sure!" the male accepted tersely, "It'd be really fun! And much easier. Don't you think?" Lith blinked, astonished by his response.  
"I suppose so," he chuckled. Dustin felt a soft grin against his lips. At least he didn't have to ask about it first.  
"You should be going soon, however. It's gotten late. You should get some rest," the blackblood suggested.   
"Alright. I'll see you later." Dustin replied. Reluctantly, he stepped towards the bedroom door. He swiftly exited that room and left out the front door after before he could bear with Buka's comments. Through the windows along the hallway outside was darkness, accented with the city lights of Virginia Beach. He could spot a lit statue of a Greek god or something of the sort on the boardwalk off in the distance, and the glittered jets zooming overhead through the endless sky. He smiled.   
Through everything that happened today, he felt alright.   
By the time he made it back to bed, he wasn't concerned about what the figure he saw before. 'I'm dead tired. Probably was seeing things or something..,' he excused.   
He fell into the deepest slumber he'd had in a long time shortly after.


	15. first day

Dustin had a rough time getting up the next morning.  
His body ached even worse that it had yesterday, making him stiff and hard to move at first. He scratched his head before trudging to get his things together and make himself decent. This process took at least 15 minutes. By the time he looked at the clock at the slight curiosity of what time it was, he was surprised.   
It was already past noon. A wave of panic flooded his mind. 'Shit, it's so late already! What if he's worried or something? Did he call me at all?' he wondered. He snatched up his phone from the nightstand and checked. Surprisingly enough, there were no missed calls. He sighed in relief.   
"Damn it, I have to get out of here."   
He hoped Lith was still at home.  
>>>>>  
By the time Dustin had left the house and reached Lith's building, it was almost one o'clock. He had his backpack perched on his back, having given the hotel receptionist back the room keys and left. Out of sheer curiosity, he wondered if Buka was there still. He hoped not; though he was nice, he made awkward comments. The male could feel his cheeks flush at the thought of last night. Or was it early this morning? Either way, he still felt embarrassed about not bringing himself to tell Lith about those 'things'. 'Should I even tell him...? Ugh, I don't even know,' he thought dismally.   
As the stairs' floorboards creaked with each of his steps, he continued to contemplate what he could do to solve his dilemma. He didn't reach a conclusion by the time he reached Lith's door. Taking a quiet breath, he knocked on the door loudly.   
...  
...Oddly enough, after a minute or two, nothing happened. Dustin raised an eyebrow. Before, Lith had seemingly rushed out of the shower to answer. He noted that there was no sound of water running this time. 'I wonder what he's doing...?'  
After some thought, he decided to go in himself. The door was unlocked upon trying the handle. Dustin went in as quietly as possible.   
The first thing he noticed was Buka's absence. The room had subtle differences from last night; on the couch was a stack of Dustin's clothes, now pristine and without stains, and there was a tied plastic bag with bunched up plastic bags inside next to the couch. Dustin walked over curiously. He placed his backpack on the couch and placed the clean clothes on top. He took a moment to slip his hoodie back on with relief from the comfort. It was soft and still warm from a dryer. He didn't touch the bag as he looked around. There was no sign of Lith either. His eyes landed on the bedroom door. 'Could he still be sleeping...?' he wondered. He decided to go and check.  
The door was unlocked as well, granting easy entry. The room was still the same as the last time he was inside. In the bed was a lump hidden under the covers. Dustin sighed as quietly as he could manage. He was relieved to see Lith was soundly asleep. 'He must've been really tired...' he mused silently. He cautiously stepped over towards the blackblood, kneeling by the bedside. Locks of his inky black hair and flecks of blonde were poking out from underneath the covers. Dustin tilted his head. 'Could he breathe properly under that?' he wondered. Growing worried, he frowned and contemplated moving the covers a bit. 'He won't wake from just moving it a little, right? It's just his face after all...' With an amount of encouragement, he reached over and tugged at the covers slowly. He bit his lip. More and more messy strands of blonde were unveiled until Lith's features could be seen clearly.  
The blackblood had dark, even bluish circles under his shut eyes, likely from a lack of sleep. His skin was still pale like porcelain, but somehow, he made it look natural. It may have been a quality only he held. Dustin noticed the blackblood's lips were a gentle shade of grey rather than fleshy pink. He was drooling a bit from them, causing him to stifle a chuckle. Without thinking, he reached over and wiped the shining streak away with his sleeve. The touch of the blackblood's skin was still cool against a covered hand. By the time he'd realized his mistake, he noticed Lith beginning to stir. Dustin's heart skipped a beat in fear as the blackblood shifted, a hand reaching up from under the covers to push the male's hand away. His head lolled to the side facing away from Dustin, without shifting any further. With burning cheeks, the male let out a strained sigh. He kicked himself in his mind as he rubbed his sleeve onto his pants. He was sure the blackblood would've woken up from the contact, and maybe he did and didn't care; it surprised him how he seemed to disregard it, subconsciously or not. The male decided he should leave the room. He deemed Lith needed his sleep. He had begun to stand up to his feet cautiously when a piercing ringtone shattered the silence. He jumped and stiffened. Lith let out a small groan, that sounded more of a sigh, from his position. He pushed himself up and the covers aside, stepping up from the bed on the opposite side from Dustin. He snatched up what looked to be his phone from a nightstand and answered the call.  
"H-Hello?" he greeted with a clearing of his throat, "...Oh, good morning, miss. ...Hm?" There a small pause of silence before Lith reached up and rubbed his face. Dustin remained completely still, afraid to move. A thousand different thoughts ran through his mind.   
"I, um, hah," Lith suddenly chuckled, "I just woke up, my apologies. I have the draft finished if you'd like it soon." The male tilted his head. Who could he be talking to? 'He wouldn't be that formal to Buka, would he...? Wait no, he said miss.'  
"...No, but tomorrow would be alright. ...Alright. I'll see you then." Almost abruptly, the blackblood shut his phone and set it down on the nightstand. He mumbled something under his breath, rubbing his face again. He moved away from the bed, his eyes darting to the floor, scooping up a pair of jeans and starting to slip them on. The blackblood froze in his movements when he finally noticed Dustin standing on the other side of the room out of the corner of his eye. His expression turned to something confused.  
"What are you...?" he trailed off. Dustin felt his cheeks continue to flush warmly.   
"I-I, uh, you were sleeping and then you woke up," he stammered a response. Lith stared at him for a moment.  
"When did you get in here?" he asked as he finished slipping them on. The male adjusted his hoodie with a fidget.  
"Er, a few minutes ago, I think."  
"Oh. Sorry about that...," Lith continued before Dustin could apologize himself, "You found your hoodie?" he asked suddenly. Dustin nodded, forcing himself to loosen up.   
"I-It was on the couch."  
"...Really?"   
"Yeah."  
"Oh." The blackblood scratched at the back of his head, saying nothing further.   
"Er, when did you go to bed?" Dustin questioned hesitantly.   
"Um... Good question... Around 5, maybe."   
"5 A.M??" His face darkening with blush, Lith smiled coyly. He didn't reply. The male's surprise was still evident in his expression.  
"That's really late... Do you always stay up that late?"  
"It depends, but most nights, yes."  
"Jeez, Lith," Dustin stepped over towards the blackblood. With a gentle motion, he reached up and ruffled Lith's already messy tresses. Lith, taken by surprise, merely stared. His icy eyes held the same degree of fatigue as his explanation did. The male smiled sheepishly.  
"That's unhealthy, don't you think?" he suggested.  
"I suppose..."  
"What were you doing up that late anyway?"  
"I was at the grocery store." The blackblood rubbed at his thumb. Dustin blinked.  
"Grocery store?" he repeated, "There was one open so late?"  
"Well...," Lith tilted his head forward slightly, "I went out of town, so to speak."  
"O-Ohh. Do you usually go shopping late at night?"  
"No." Pushing Dustin's hand away with gentle fingertips, he moved towards the bedroom door. On a nearby dresser, he picked up a hairbrush. Dustin followed with his eyes.  
"Do you usually go shopping?" the male questioned further, "You don't really seem like the kind of person to go out in public often." Lith shook his head before beginning to tidy up his hair.  
"I only went because humans need food too," he explained bluntly.  
"O-Oh." For some reason, the thought of someone like Lith going out of their way for someone like Dustin made him embarrassed. Especially so late at night. Dustin merely reached up and messed at his hoodie's drawstring, sheepishly smiling.   
"Thanks then," he added. He only received a soft hum in response. He watched as the blackblood's hairbrush, silver in color, glided down through his locks in lazy strokes. After a few more strokes, it halted in its motion. Lith looked back towards Dustin.  
"Did you... Where did you go last night?" he questioned suddenly.   
"Me? I went back to the hotel," Dustin replied, "Why?" Lith was silent with the male's curiosity echoing through the air, appearing to hesitate.  
"...I heard someone in my room last night was all," he answered. The male blinked.   
"Are you sure? Was your door locked last night?" The blackblood nodded.  
"I locked the door before I left, and made sure to lock it before I went to sleep."  
"That's weird... Are you sure you weren't imagining things?" Dustin received a look with an undertone of irritation before a reply.  
"Yes."  
"Was there any evidence of it...?"  
"I wouldn't know. I just-" Lith stopped. He placed the hairbrush back onto his dresser with a quiet clatter, taking quick steps to his bedroom door. Dustin held his breath. He let the blackblood exit first before following in his footsteps. Lith crept around the room silently, eyeing every object around him with careful eyes. Dustin caught his gaze for a brief second before mimicking his movements. Like before, everything seemed the same as last night except for his laundered clothes, his backpack, and the bags, which he knew now were from the blackblood's shopping last night. He was about to form words to break the silence until he heard a sharp take of air and a thud. Jumping a bit, he snapped his head in Lith's direction.   
The blackblood was on the floor against his stomach as if he'd lunged forward. In his grip was a wriggling ball of grey fur, emitting a sharp squeal of protest. Dustin tensed in repulsion. It was a rat. Lith muttered something under his breath before fumbling to his feet. The male stepped over to him.   
"H-How did you catch that??" he gasped. The blackblood stared hard at the rat with a tight grip.   
"It poked out from underneath the couch, so I grabbed it," he answered. The rat continued to squirm, its fleshy tail whipping and tiny paws poking out between the blackblood's fingers. Suddenly, its snout jerked down and bit on his thumb. With an abrupt yelp, Lith reacted, hurling the rat down to the floor before the male could realize. A loud thud mixed with a crack echoed in the room and the rat skipped like a stone on water. After skipping twice, the creature landed inert. Dustin squeaked, covering his mouth in shock.  
"Lith, what was that?!" he cried. Lith tensed, seeming to realize what he had done. There were small splats of blood on the floor in the rat's path.  
"U-Uh..." He looked up at Dustin, "S-Sorry, I, um... It bit me."  
"Jesus Christ, I think it's dead now... H-How the hell did you throw it like that??"   
"I-I wasn't thinking about it. I'm sorry."  
"No no, it's okay! It's just a rat!" Dustin couldn't bear to glimpse at the inert rat, "...I sure wouldn't like to be in it's position though..."  
"I-It's okay, I wouldn't do that to you. You are tall."  
"Well...," the male smiled forcibly, "You're not wrong." Lith's lips tilted with a sheepish smile.  
"I'll, um, I'll clean it up," he decided. Dustin nodded as the blackblood stepped around the rat's gorey scene and into the kitchen. He gulped and perched himself on the arm of the couch. The rat's final moments sure startled him. His heart still thudded louder than normal in his ears. Thinking back to yesterday, he couldn't help but feel lucky. He raised a hand behind his head, grazing the still sensitive part of his scalp. He wondered if Lith could have done something worse to him, if things had escalated further. A shiver ran down his spine as he dropped his hand. He didn't want to think about it. Before he could decide on something else, a sharp knocking caught his attention. Dustin's eyes shot towards the front door.  
"...?" He watched the door silently for a moment before walking over. Wondering if it was Buka, he opened the door without much thought. He opened his mouth to speak, but words escaped him as he saw blonde hair cupped by a black beanie. He didn't have to think twice about it; at once, Lith's words about Derik stopping by yesterday came rushing back. The blonde at the door raised his head. His steely blue eyes widened.  
"H-Hey!" he gasped. He lunged forward, grabbing the male in some odd embrace, one that was more like a baby animal clinging to its mother. Dustin caught him with a step backwards.   
"Whoa, hey!" he gasped similarly. Derik's head snapped back up, a confused look on his face. He let go of the male.  
"Whoa, whoa, are you taller than me now??" the blonde questioned. Dustin blinked. It took him a moment to realize he was looking down at his friend, more so than he would Lith. He sheepishly smiled.  
"Well, I mean-"  
"I haven't seen you in forever! Gosh, what are you, 19? I missed, like, 2 of your birthdays!" "Actually, 3."  
"Don't rub it in!" Derik pouted, "I'll make it up somehow! What say you?" Dustin chuckled, leaning his shoulder against the door frame.   
"As long as I can make up your birthdays too."  
"Yeah, sure." Derik grinned happily. The male returned the smile. He gazed at his friend absentmindedly, feeling waves of reminiscence washing over him. It felt like he hadn't seen the blonde in forever. He hadn't realized how much he missed the chatterbox's voice.   
"Oh, come in, it's cooler in here," the male offered, moving to the side.   
"You sure? Wait, where's that guy who lives here?"   
"Oh, uh, he won't mind. Promise."  
"If you say so." At that, Derik waltzed inside, his movements laced with jitters. Dustin closed the door behind him quickly. It seemed like Derik felt the same feelings he was. He wondered what the blonde had been doing all of this time. That one thought provoked another, and he thought of something important.  
"Derik, hold up," he called quietly. Derik glanced over his shoulder, stepping back to his friend.  
"What's up?"  
"Um... You remember Iodyne, right?" A mere mention of the whiteblood's name made the atmosphere suddenly change, and the smile from the blonde's face quickly faded.  
"Yeah... Why?" he questioned.  
"Well, uh... Lith, um, the guy who lives here, he was Iodyne's boyfriend."   
"...Oh shit," Derik breathed, his expression spiralling into something guilty. Dustin nodded.  
"H-He already knows that I knew about how he died and stuff like that, but-"  
"Did you give him Iodyne's stuff already?"  
"Of course."  
"My god, I feel so bad," The blonde rubbed his face. The male patted his shoulder gently.  
"...You should be alright as long as you don't bring it up. He doesn't really like strangers or anything, but he should be a little okay since I know you."  
"O-Okay... Wait, so how long have you known him?"  
"Er... since yesterday."  
"Wait, what?"  
"Dustin?" The two froze in midst of their conversation. It was Lith's voice, gently echoing from the kitchen.  
"Yeah?" Dustin called. The blackblood emerged from the kitchen. In a latex-gloved hand was another wriggling ball of fur, and in the other was an empty plastic grocery bag. A haunting squeal came from the writhing creature.  
"I found another rat. How should I dispose of it?" he questioned a bit too casually. Dustin tensed, afraid to see his friend's reaction. Lith stared at the two of them for a few moments before seeming to realize there was actually two of them. He blinked.  
"...Oh, uh, hello."  
"...oh my god."


	16. letting it sink in

After a few minutes of cleaning up and reassurance, Dustin sat down with his friend. The blonde still seemed unnerved from seeing a rat simply wriggling in someone's hand. Dustin knew well that he adored animals, and couldn't help but feel bad about it. Derik laughed nervously.

"That was weird, ha," he breathed, adjusting his beanie. Dustin made a small smile.   
"Yeah, sorry about that... We just got up and he saw one and, well, you can imagine," he tried to explain. Derik raised an eyebrow. 

"You slept in?" he questioned in disbelief, "Since when do you do that?"  
"I don't! I was really tired and didn't set an alarm or anything."  
"Ohhh, I see." Derik's eyes wandered towards the bathroom door. After cleaning up the bloody mess in the living area, Lith had gone into the bathroom. The male feared that he had both rats with him, but didn't try to mention it to Derik.  
"Say," the blonde suddenly began, "Have you talked to your grandfather at all?" he asked. Dustin nodded.  
"I call or text him every now and then. Why?" he replied.  
"Do you think we should tell him that we found..." Derik motioned towards the bathroom. Dustin held his breath. His grandfather had almost completely slipped his mind yesterday, which shocked him. After all, it was him who had suggested the two males should go and retrieve Iodyne's things back then. He promptly nodded.  
"He deserves to know... I-I mean, to know that we found someone that thought of him and returned his things to them," he supported. Derik nodded in agreement.  
"...Should we tell him that it was your grandfather that told us to go get his stuff?" he paused, "And his idea to break into a government building and put us at risk of getting arrested... Why did he even let us do that anyway?" he seemed to realize suddenly. Dustin shrugged.  
"He's, uh... I don't know. I'm glad we did though."  
"Same here. Hey, it was pretty fun too." Derik grinned. Dustin couldn't help but smirk.  
"Sure, sure." The male distantly remembered a similar grin his friend wore on that day, blindingly lit with a flashlight he had in hand. He tried to remember what he was saying...

'Are you ready to get all Supernatural up in this place?' Derik roused in a whisper.  
'Derik, shut up! We're literally inches from their property!' Dustin hissed. The blonde snickered.   
'Yeah, yeah, I know. Let's get in already.'  
'It's not that easy.' With a crinkling of freshly printed paper, Dustin pried open a map. Fluorescent streaks of yellow highlighter glowed faintly in the night. He felt Derik moving closer to peer over his shoulder. Words of his grandfather echoed with certain directions from certain friends-of-friends, the markings indicating where they could sneak in undetected, as farfetched as it seemed. He pressed a gloved fingertip against a bleeding blot of yellow.

'We're right here,' he murmured. He traced his finger up along a linear path and paused at another blot, 'And we need to get up here. There should be a window over here somewhere to climb into.'  
'That's when we use the screwdriver, right?' the blonde questioned almost directly into Dustin's ear. He nodded quickly.  
'Yeah." He continued to trace along hurriedly drawn paths, muttering small bits of important information to his friend. Their path would lead them down to a basement floor where their destination was: the morgue. After he finished relaying the information, Derik pressed against his shoulder and stood up. 

'Sounds easy. Do you think we'll get arrested if we get caught?' he asked. His grin had faded to a worried gaze. Dustin shook his head before standing up himself.   
'We can't get caught. Grandfather said this was important, so we're not going to let him down. Capiche?' The brunette put his hands on his hips. Derik smirked, relief seeming to radiate from him in the darkness.   
'Capiche, my man,' he agreed with new confidence. The two awkwardly bumped fists despite the lack of light. Dustin felt the confidence rubbing off on him, ready to tackle this government building headfirst. He folded the map back up and took the first steps into the property. 

It was challenging to keep quiet with the crackle of grass and foliage underneath their sneakers and their breathing that sounded uncomfortably loud to them. Though, in a lighter way, it reassured Dustin that his friend was following close behind. On the map, it didn't appear that their path was as long as it felt, but it felt like it was taking forever to reach the building itself. Suddenly, a door opened from somewhere with ferocity. Dustin looked up.

Derik gasped beside his friend and leapt from the couch. The brunette blinked quickly out of his memories, turning towards the bathroom. Hands still wrist-deep in latex, Lith stepped out, shutting the door behind him with less force than what Dustin heard previously, leaving him somehow confused. Derik grew tense next to him.

"What were you doing in there?" he questioned. The blackblood met the blonde's gaze. His eyes were calm and each emotion before had been carefully collected before stepping back out, it seemed.   
"I disposed of the rats," he answered simply. The blonde's lips tightened together. Dustin felt more confusion rise rather than disappear. 'How did he do that in the bathroom...?'  
"What do you mean disposed of? Where did you put them?" Derik's voice began to brim with concern for the innocent creatures. Using his teeth, Lith pried one glove off his hand.  
"I flushed them down into the toilet system, if you need to know," he clarified before slipping the other glove off with his exposed hand. A dark wound seemed to glow on his thumb where the first rat had bitten him. Dustin's eyes grew wide.  
"How did you-"  
"You flushed them down the toilet?!" A balled fist rose up sharply with emotion, striking the brunette squarely in the cheek. Derik seemed not to notice his gesture, "What the hell is wrong with you?! Those were innocent creatures!" he cried angrily. As his friend continued to protest, Dustin lowered his head, holding his cheek gingerly. He knew Derik had expressive gestures whenever he was passionate about something, but that fist packed a punch like nobody's business. Lith grimaced, his eyes no longer on Derik. They were focused on Dustin.  
"Hey," the blackblood interrupted sharply. Derik halted mid-sentence, lowering his hands.   
"What?" he demanded with hostility. Lith shot him a harsh glare, overpowering Derik's tone with poisonous eyes. Derik froze, struck by such an artic gaze.   
"You can take care of them next time then, if you're so concerned," Lith spat. That was all he said before he left into the kitchen. Derik felt the blood drain from his paling face, unravelling his hands and instantly discouraged. Justice for those rats and possibly more to come suddenly seemed unreasonable to fight with the blackblood about now. Shuddering, he sat back down. Dustin raised his head.  
"H-Hey," he whispered. The blonde tilted his head towards his friend.  
"How do you deal with that guy?? J-Jeez, did you see the look he gave me?" he hissed softly in a shaky voice. His eyes looked across his friend's face before landing on a growing splotch of red, "What happened to your face??" The brunette frowned.   
"Dummy, you punched me while you were raving about the rats," he replied. Derik mouthed a gasp.  
"Shit, sorry! I must've been really upset, do you-" He halted his words once again. His eyes left his friend and snapped upwards. Dustin blinked, turning to face where Derik was looking. Lith stepped back over towards the couch the two were seated at. In his hands was a small package wrapped in a black cloth. The poison in his eyes was now dry, only eyeing the brunette with light concern.  
"Dustin, are you alright?" he asked quietly. Dustin stared at the blackblood for a moment before nodding.  
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," he replied.   
"Put this on your cheek, just in case." Lith reached over and handed him the small package. Dustin felt his fingers tense from the touch: it was an ice pack. He felt waves of warmth suffocate his face from the sudden kindness. He glanced back up, opening his mouth to reply a thanks of some sort, but it was futile; when he looked up, Lith was no longer there. He heard Derik gasp beside him in a similar realization. 'Where did he..,' he shook his head slightly, 'He'll be back, I can say something then.' Somewhat disappointed, he placed the ice pack against his bruised cheek. Its frigidity felt like ecstasy against the warmth and pain he felt. Just the feeling alone vaguely reminded him of Lith.   
"Jeez..," Derik breathed, "What a weird guy." Dustin smiled sheepishly.  
"Y-Yeah, he's, um... Hah."   
"'Hah'?" The blonde raised an eyebrow, but uncharacteristically, he said nothing, simply eyeing his friend.  
"...Dustin."  
"What?"  
"You're not... No way, could you really?" Derik leaned forward, his eyes forgetting the fear they recently held with a sparkling anticipation. They stared deeply into his friend's own eyes.  
"What? Derik, what do you mean?" Dustin demanded, getting a bad idea or two. The blonde's lips curled into a smirk.  
"Hang on..," With a playfully accusing finger, he poked his friend in the chest, "You like him, don't you?" Dustin tensed.  
"N-No, it's not like that! H-He's just a really nice guy, though you haven't really seen that yet, b-but I wouldn't lie about that," the brunette stammered for a reasonable response. Seeing his friend's expression unchanged, he frowned, "What makes you think that anyway?" Derik dropped his finger.  
"Well, usually if someone flushed an animal down the toilet that wasn't a croaked goldfish, wouldn't you be just as upset or shocked as I was?" he debated, "Like, that's some creepy shit right there, no offense. But nope, you weren't making a peep!"  
"You punched me before I could say anything! Besides..," Dustin's eyes lowered, "I still have a bunch of stuff to tell you about, you know." Derik blinked.  
"What kind of stuff?"  
"Like, how I met Lith, and why I'll be staying here with him for now."  
"...Well, don't keep me waiting. I want to hear everything."

"Okay."

And so Dustin did. Recalling everything he could bear to remember from yesterday from the cafe, to the phone call, to learning of Iodyne, and meeting Buka and their boss, and finally to coming over this morning, he recounted his tale as a wide variety of emotions washed over his friend's face. He found himself voicing silent feelings about his experiences, finding it easier to entrust them to someone else rather than keep them pent up. It was relieving to express them to a friend who could understand. It felt... human. After he concluded his story up until this moment, he reached behind his head and felt the still sensitive area, a reminder of how recently it had happened.   
"That's everything, I think," he mumbled, looking up at his friend. Derik was staring at him deeply. Processing everything that was said, he sat up straight.  
"All of that... really happened?" he asked quietly. The brunette nodded.  
"...That's fucked up." Derik's eyes pinpointed one emotion: fear. Maybe dread as well, but mainly fear. "So you're really going to... die?" Dustin shook his head.  
"I'm supposed to, but like hell I'm going to. Not if I can help it, and Lith will protect me..," he reiterated, "I know he will. I trust him."  
"H-How can you trust him so easily? I mean... he looks like he would know what he's doing, but I wouldn't be able to really trust him. Hell, the way that Buka guy sounds, I could trust him more and I haven't even met him yet!" The blonde frowned, "And after just now, just... I don't know, it feels like he doesn't know how to be normal and actually take care of you. You know what I mean, he could break a human like you. Like us." Dustin ran his thumb against his bottom lip.  
"I... I understand. I get that feeling too, and I'm pretty sure he's rusty with being 'normal' too, but..." His friend stared at him intently.  
"But?"  
"I-I don't really care about it, I guess. I trust him." Dustin rubbed his face with care. "I just do." After a moment of silence, the blonde let his eyes wander his surroundings. His answer made the air feel much heavier than it seemed mere moments ago. Dustin wondered what his friend must've been thinking. 'Maybe I'm really as crazy as I sound right now,' he pondered lightly.   
"...Okay," Derik broke the silence softly. The brunette looked up.   
"'Okay'?"  
"I won't care either, then. Wait," Derik shook his head quickly, meeting his friend's gaze, "I do care, but I'll just take your word for this. I don't exactly understand, but... you're the one going through this. It's your decision." Dustin gulped, nodding slightly.  
"Alright... Thanks, dude."  
"It's nothing, man." The blonde cracked a trademark grin, tainted with emotion, "Just don't make me regret not playing the parent role, okay?" Dustin smiled narrowly.  
"I won't."   
"Good, good." Derik leaned back into the couch, glancing towards the door. The brunette followed his gaze silently.   
"...Wondering where he went?" he asked quietly. He heard an approving grunt from his friend.  
"He literally vanished or something. Does he do that often?" Dustin looked back at him to shake his head.  
"That's the first time."  
"Funky. You sure you want a spooky guy like him?"  
"Dude!" The said male snickered.   
"Dude, I'm serious, what do you have for him? You can tell me, I won't be talking to him any time soon," he pestered. His cheeks glowing with rosy hues, Dustin pouted and looked away.  
"I don't have anything for him! It's just... a silly crush. That's all."   
"Is it?" Derik stared with curious eyes. "What if it grows into something bigger, once you really start living with him?"   
"I doubt it. He has Buka. Buka wouldn't like it," Dustin lied with uncertainty.  
"So what? He's not here all the time, you only saw him once!" The blonde slapped a confident hand onto his friend's shoulder. "Look here, Dustin." Reluctantly, his friend complied.   
"How long I have known you?"   
"...A while."   
"A while. I know you well enough to predict how things can turn out. You've never had these kind of feelings before, right?"  
Dustin nodded.  
"Right. I'm not going to say you're going to become head over heels for him, but just in case it does happen, I wanna tell you what to do so you don't accidentally ruin whatever friendship you have at the time. Sound good?"   
"...Yeah," Dustin admitted. Derik gave him a warm smile.  
"Good. I'll try not to bore you. It's actually pretty simple..." 

>>>>>

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't as boring as Dustin thought it would be, and it was incredibly helpful. Derik, with his ever-increasing list of ex-girlfriends and boyfriends, helped ease his worries about interacting with different people who might have different reactions than expected, Lith being a good potential example. He also mentioned ways to hide or show feelings and what different body language can mean, and how it can be good to understand that. Dustin knew his friend had more than his share of relationship experience, but he never suspected his knowledge would have gotten down to a science.   
It had grown late by the time the lecture ended, and Derik deemed it was time for him to head back. He lived in Williamsburg, a city an hour or so away from Virginia Beach, and he didn't want to miss the last bus heading back that way for the day.   
As his friend left, Dustin was left on the couch by himself. The light streaking through the windows was beginning to shine with hues of golden yellow and orange. With a yawn, he glanced around for a clock anywhere in the room. An analog clock that was hung neatly on the wall read 4-something. The minute hand was closer to the twelve, and he stared in awe at how much time had passed during their discussion. 'Lith isn't back yet...,' he silently realized, 'I hope he's fine... I wonder where he went.' Dustin laid his head carefully against the arm of the couch, pondering where the blackblood could have left to. His fingers clutched the now melted ice pack, mildly numb, mostly damp. He realized the black cloth couldn't be removed during the lecture. 'It must be his shadow thing again... Doesn't he own washcloths?' A chuckle passed his lips and he let his eyes close. He suddenly felt overwhelming tired from the past few hours, and a quick nap sounded like a decent idea. He continued to wonder about Lith's whereabouts, until he dozed off into a deep slumber.


	17. learning

Dustin wasn't sure what woke him up, but his eyes opened immediately when it happened.   
The first thing he noticed something different; there was a strong pressure inside his chest, pulsating like his own heart beat. It was a vaguely familiar feeling, but he couldn't remember it.  
"What the hell...?" he whispered out loud, touching his chest carefully. He tried to pinpoint what it might be and tried to remember it. Starting to take in deep breaths, Dustin sat up from his position. His body ached normally from the awkward position he slept in causing him to wince only then. It seemed that the pressure inside him wasn't actually hurting him physically. But to his dismay, it still hurt, throbbing with "pain".   
The brunette scanned the room cautiously. The room was glowing with orange and pink sunlight, hinting that sunset was more than falling by now. Filling the pressure with dulled relief, he noticed a few things had been moved around, and an unfamiliar pillow was placed underneath his head during slumber. 'Lith must have come back,' he discovered, 'Maybe he knows what this is...' He stood up from the couch and stretched. The pressure in his chest suddenly felt cold, running discouraging chills throughout his body. He shivered, dropping his arms quickly. 'What the- Why did that happen??' Panic started to weave its way through his nerves, and going back to bed seemed like a better idea than anything. He silently protested against the urge. He needed an answer for this heavy, constricting feeling. Assuming that Lith would remain in the bedroom, Dustin crept over to the respective door. With a gentle motion of his hand, he knocked on the door.  
"Lith?" he called. "...Are you in there?"  
...   
"Yeah," a quiet voice replied. Dustin's heart thudded, and the pressure in his chest grew intense. 'I shouldn't go inside... Why doesn't it feel right?' he found himself wondering. He must've taken too long to react, as the doorknob twisted and pulled away from his fingertips. The door opened a small increment, and Lith peeked out. His eyes seemed to glow in the dimming bedroom, glossy and dim. A heavy aura seemed to creep out of his room when he opened the door.   
"Hey," he greeted. Dustin blinked.   
"Hey. Er, you were gone for a while-"  
"Yes, I, um," The blackblood glanced down, closing his eyes for a moment. He rubbed his eye with a closed hand before continuing. "There was a significant rat infestation in the floors below. I disposed of all of them outside. It took longer than expected, I apologize."   
"N-No, you don't have to apologize. The rats were a problem," Dustin looked at him softly, "You should rest. You look really tired." Lith looked up to meet the brunette's gaze. As if proving his point, his eyes seemed to radiate exhaustion and... pain. The blackblood averted his eyes.  
"I suppose... Come with me." He scooped up Dustin's hand gingerly. Dustin held his breath at the touch, his contact stinging from the blackblood's frigid hand. The pressure in his chest fluttered simultaneously. His face lit up red in the cheeks.   
"Wha- C-Come with you where?" He stammered quickly.   
"Sleep with me. You need proper rest." Lith spoke softer as he tugged on the brunette, lowly coaxing him inside.   
"But why? I-I just woke up, I'll be fine," Dustin protested weakly.   
"I don't like you sleeping on the couch." The blackblood sat on the edge of the bed, untouched from that morning. He released Dustin's hand gently and gazed at him.   
"I-I... Are you implying that I should sleep with you all the time?" Dustin formed a sentence carefully. Lith nodded.  
"Until further notice. Unless... it makes you uncomfortable. Does it?"   
"I don't mind. It's your bed, though, I-I don't want to make you uncomfortable either." Something odd shifted in his chest.   
"You won't. It will be fine."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes." Lith seemed to stare at Dustin lazily, as if he wasn't doing it intentionally. He was about to speak up when he was beaten to it.  
"How does your cheek feel?" The blackblood asked. Dustin reached up and felt his cheek. It barely ached at the touch.  
"It's fine now, thanks," he replied, giving the blackblood a smile. Lith smiled back slightly in such a way he couldn't distinguish if it were genuine or not. Suddenly, there was a brief release of pressure in chest, as if a great load was lifted. Without warning or meaning to, Dustin gasped audibly, reaching for his chest. Lith's smile vanished instantly.  
"Are you alright?" He stood back up. Just as sudden, the pressure returned, prickly and antsy. Dustin bit his lip.   
"W-Wait," he breathed, looking away, "My chest just really hurts or something..." Lith blinked.   
"Where does it hurt?" he asked.  
"Right here." The brunette touched an area that was in the center and towards his heart. The blackblood stared at the area pointed out for a moment before his expression changed. Eyebrows furrowed, he turned away and walked towards his dresser. He ran a hand through his hair and lingered there. Dustin frowned deeply. He nearly spoke up to Lith when the pressure instantly vanished altogether. He held back a gasp this time, touching his chest lightly. Taking a careful inhale, there was no more pain to be felt. His eyes wandered back to Lith. 'Was that feeling... him?' he wondered. The blackblood clenched his hand in his hair tightly before releasing.   
"I'm sorry. That was my fault," he murmured. Dustin held his breath. He stepped over to Lith quietly.  
"What do you mean?" he asked.  
"Um..," the blackblood dropped his hands, "When you meet your demon guardian for the first time, there's a connection that happens. You can start feeling each other's emotions. It varies, but if it's strong, the other person will feel it," he explained briefly. “The purpose for this is to let the other know if one was in trouble, which is very helpful. But any strong emotion gets felt whether or not it’s the case.” The brunette tensed.  
"I was feeling your feelings...?" he breathed. Lith nodded. Dustin gazed at him in disbelief. 'He was feeling that way...? Why?' He couldn't quite believe it. Gently, he reached over and touched the blackblood's shoulder. Lith promptly brushed his hand off, gripping his crossed arms at the elbows. Dustin bit his lip.  
"Why were you feeling that way? D-Did something happen?" he asked. After a pause of silence, a near-silent sigh passed the blackblood's lips.  
"I'm just stressed today, Dustin. You don't need to worry about it." Dropping his arms again, he sat back down on the bed. The brunette followed his actions in suit, sitting with a small margin of space between them. He could feel the cold air against the blackblood, sitting so near him. Gazing at him, worry written in his eyes, he wondered if Lith got stressed often. His mind wandered back to when Derik punched him by accident. He held his breath, feeling his neck grow warm. 'Is that it?' he wondered, 'He did look angry with him after...'  
"D-Did Derik have anything to do with it?" he voiced his question hesitantly. He noticed Lith tensed ever so slightly in his seat.  
"Yes," he answered tersely. Out the sheer awkwardness of the atmosphere, Dustin chuckled softly.  
"Really? I-It didn't hurt that much. He does that a lot when he gets passionate about things," he mused, coating his lips with a feigned smile, "I'm used to it, really. You don't have to stress about it too." Gazing at Lith, he began to grow nervous when he didn't receive a response. The blackblood glanced at him from the side before sighing, sounding more exasperated than before.  
"You don't understand," he muttered with an edge of annoyance. It startled Dustin more than he expected himself to be. He shoved down a gulp, preparing to defend himself. The blackblood beat him to it. "I'm supposed to protect you, no?" The brunette paused.  
"Er, yeah?" he answered.  
"Even if you don't feel as badly as it seemed, it's still you being hurt," Lith looked up to meet his gaze, "and that still hurts my feelings. Even if you're 'fine'." His icily blue eyes seemed to demand his understanding. Dustin bit his lip.  
"I-I see, okay."   
"...I don't hate him or anything, if that's what he got out of it."  
"Oh no, h-he was pretty chill about it. He was just kinda mad about the rats still." The brunette pressed his lips tightly together.   
"Alright..." The blackblood dropped his eyes. His hands rested on his denim-covered lap. The muscles inside tensed and rumbled silently, streaks of grey outlining delicate veins. Suddenly, one of his hands balled into a gentle fist. Dustin frowned.   
"...Hey, Lith."   
"What?"   
"Um... About Derik, he was, um," the brunette felt himself hesitate. "H-He was with me when I went to get Iodyne's things." Lith tensed.  
"...He was?" Dustin nodded, looking off to the side.   
"Yeah... I-I told him about everything that's happened and that you were-"   
"Why didn't you tell me?" The question startled the brunette, making him look back over. Lith shifted in a position where his body faced him. His eyes glowed with a look of guilt. Dustin bit his lip.  
"I didn't think of it when y-you and Buka mentioned him. I'm sorry."   
"It's..," the blackblood trailed off, his expression darkening, "...I shouldn't have been so rude to him." He lowered his gaze, running a hand through his hair stressfully. The brunette suddenly felt familiar stings of pressure in his chest, causing him to hold his breath. 'Shit, I shouldn't have told him that! I have to do something!' his inner voice panicked. With a gulp and the briefest amount of courage, he reached for the blackblood's stationary hand. He gingerly picked it up and held it. Lith's eyes darted back to meet Dustin's, a look of surprise crossing his face.   
"...?" His cold flesh felt numbingly smooth in the brunette's warm, squishy hand. He willed himself hold eye contact.  
"I-It's not your fault. You didn't know, a-and you were only acting according to your job." Dustin feigned a smile. "Right? B-Besides, he completely gets the idea of how you feel, at least a little bit." Lith stared at him silently. The few moments that passed felt long and arduous, hoping the blackblood would feel better from his words. Slowly, the pressure that reemerged disappeared, and Lith looked down at his held hand. Dustin felt waves of warmth wash over his cheeks.  
He suddenly feared whether or not his hands were sweaty.   
"...I see," he mumbled. To the brunette's surprise, Lith didn't try to pull his hand free. Instead, he shifted and interlocked his fingers between Dustin's, squeezing his hand gently.  
"Your hand is soft," he pointed out quietly. Dustin tensed, feeling as if he were suffocating from embarrassment. He smiled sheepishly.  
"Y-You think so?" he breathed. The blackblood gazed up at him. He returned the smile with a slight one dancing on his lips. His melted eyes seemed to dance similarly.   
"Mm. Humans are very soft." Gently, he released Dustin's hand and pulled away, leaving the brunette almost disappointed. He simply continued looking at Dustin, as if marveling. Or at least Dustin had the impression of that. Without meaning to, the brunette suddenly yawned, covering his mouth with a fist. The blackblood blinked.   
"You should rest," he mentioned. Dustin rubbed away tears that prickled from his yawn, shaking his head slightly.  
"N-No, I'm fine. Really."  
"I can tell you're sleepy," With a coaxing touch, Lith picked up the brunette's hand again and pulled him closer into the bed, "Come on." Dustin gulped, but gave in. With a sequence of shifting and rearranging, mixed in with various 'oops's, 'shit's and nervous laughter, the two males found themselves under the covers next to each other. Dustin, now rid of his hoodie due to the uncomfortable warmth he often made, felt himself fall under the seduction of drowsiness. He glanced over towards Lith beside him. The blackblood looked similarly drowsy, already gazing back at him. A shiver of dark pressure touched Dustin's mind and he froze.   
'Good night,' Lith whispered, despite his lips not parting, 'I'll tell you more tomorrow about demon guardians and other things. Get some rest.' The brunette gasped inaudibly. Lith's silent voice was impossibly gentle and dark simultaneously. He wondered if it was what his mind's voice sounded like. Watching Lith's eyes flutter shut, he decided to put the thought to rest until tomorrow. He let his eyes droop closed, letting the darkness swallow him whole. He felt himself slowly relax until he was lulled into slumber. The idea of sleeping next to Lith didn't seem to bad after all.


	18. rough night

'Dustin, what should I do?'  
Dustin opened his eyes. Blinding summer sunlight shone through a tall window. Translucent blue shades fluttered in a warm breeze. Derik's body made a hazy silhouette, parting the sunlight. Perched on the window's sill, his eyes were gazing down at the phone on his lap, the screen facing upwards. A radio in the room crackled and sang Lit's only hit song from 1999. Strands of his crisp blond hair blew in the breeze, devoid of any black dye. His eyes floated up to Dustin.   
'You good?' he asked. The brunette blinked and shook his head.  
'Yeah. You still talking about that girl?' he murmured. His eyelids threatened to droop shut again, despite trying to rub the sleep out of them.   
'She's not just a girl. She's Claudette!' the blond huffed, 'She didn't message me back yet... Should I keep waiting?' He cupped his cheeks in his hands and leaned forward. Dustin frowned.   
'Well... no. Just wait a little more. Does it say she's online?' he questioned. Derik nodded. A distant bird chirped outside, drawing away from the radio's intelligible commercial. The brunette stood up carefully. He stretched his arms above his head, noticing he was wearing a plain white t-shirt and holey jeans. The thought of Claudette came to mind; she was a girl from school with long black hair styled into a braid, delicate wire glasses, and green eyes. Or were they blue? She was a French exchange student, or something like that. Derik put his phone down with a discouraged clatter.   
'Ugh, I'm so impatient,' he groaned, running a pale hand through his hair. Dustin tensed for a moment, but quietly gazed at his freckled friend. He frowned.   
'Dude, I don't think she's into you,' he suggested. The blond looked up at him.  
'What? Why not?' he asked curiously.   
'She tends to stay away from you at school... and there's a rumor about her liking Gwen.'  
'What, seriously??' Awestruck, Derik looked away, '...Damn, I didn't know that.' With a hard crackle, Sum 41 chimed in with In Too Deep through the radio speakers. Dustin raised an eyebrow.   
'Oh. I, uh, thought you knew that already.' Derik rubbed his face stressfully.   
'Fuck, she must think I'm a cis freak now..,' he sighed, '...I shouldn't have been so rude to him.'   
Dustin blinked.  
Suddenly, the world clicked into complete darkness. His heart jumped and rumbled.   
'L-Lith??' He gulped, trying to see anything in the darkness. He felt disembodied. He couldn't even find his own hands. The world warped from the summer warmth to chilling breezes, rattled through the brunette.  
He gasped.   
A flooding yellow light filled the room.  
'Dustin! Hey, you okay?' Derik's familiar voice hissed. Dustin blinked away the light. He saw his friend concealed in black clothing. His own hands twitched, now gloved in black and clutching the freshly printed map. The fluorescent streaks of yellow that painted it gave him chills of familiarity.   
'Iodyne,' he breathed against his will, 'Let's keep going. Come on.' He touched Derik's arm gently before continuing down the shadowy hall. His legs felt numb and as if they weren't there. It felt like a blurred dream. He heard Derik's pitter-patter footsteps following close behind him, the flashlight bouncing its beam down the hall. He followed the path of the highlighter's streaks for what felt like forever. It was unnaturally cold inside the building. Puffs of steam billowed from his mouth in constant rhythm.   
Their location was soon at a bleeding blot of yellow on the page. Before them was a slightly ajar door. Dustin reached for the door.  
'Dustin.'   
Dustin's body continued on its own, opening the door and entering the room. He heard himself speak, but somehow couldn't understand what was came out.   
'Dustin, do you hear me?'  
A gentle, squeaking voice whispered in his head. A feeling of intense warmth touched his mind. He felt himself gasp.   
'Listen to me, please.'   
He watched himself explore the morgue. He noticed Iodyne's things on the small counter in a smaller box. Derik walked over to it first, while the brunette searched for the body. His heart thundered, racking inside his chest like an earthquake.   
'Do you see anything new?'  
There was a refrigerated cabinet on the wall with a temporary label. Scribbled on it in marker was today's date. He couldn't read it as he grabbed the handle for the door. His breathing quickened. 'I can't open it, no! It's a nightmare, it will-'   
'Dustin, don't wake up! It's too soon, please.'   
Dustin felt himself twitch, holding his breath. He tried to jerk himself out of the motion, ignoring the voice the best he could. The warmth that touched his mind began to fade.   
'Dustin, wait! Please, PLEASE!'

Dustin's eyes snapped open and he gasped for air. His hands clutched the covers in tightly balled fists. Spots of darkness blurred his vision, his heart still thundering in his chest. He gulped for air, carefully taking it in and steadying himself. Little by little, he took in the surroundings.   
He was in Lith's room still. The room was dark and cooler; he decided it must be late at night. A yelp nearly escaped his lips when a frigid hand touched his arm. What restrained his voice were Lith's melted, drowsy words next to him:  
"Dustin, are you okay?" he mumbled, his voice like honey compared to the one from his dream. Dustin looked over at him. The blackblood propped himself up on one elbow, facing him. He looked as tired as he sounded, but concern bled profusely in his eyes. Dustin gulped. 'It was just a dream,' he silently realized.  
"I-I," his own voice came out in a messy stammer, "It was j-just a nightmare, that's all-" His words froze in his mouth when Lith took the sleeve of his hoodie. The blackblood gently pulled it away from his arm and patted the brunette's cheeks with it. It was only then when he realized the wetness that dampened his face. His cheeks started to burn with embarrassment.   
"You look terrified," Lith pointed out, letting go of his sleeve, "Do you want to talk about it...?" Dustin gazed at him. He nearly mouthed the word 'no' when he hesitated. 'The voice... M-My mind, it felt like when Lith... b-but...' Seeing a lack of response, the blackblood sat up in bed. He twisted to continue facing the brunette.  
"Dustin?" he called gently, sweetly even. The brunette rubbed his face on his sleeves once more before looking up. Lith's eyes watched him gingerly, growing with greater concern.   
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked again. Dustin gazed at him for a few moments before sitting up carefully.   
"Y-Yeah, I just... I need a minute," he mumbled in response. He glanced around the room quietly, holding onto the covers still. "W-What time is it?" The blackblood glanced briefly down at the sidetable on his side of the bed.   
"1:43 in the morning," he replied, "And I can give you ten." Very gently, he reached over and pried Dustin's fists open. Dustin let him, and felt himself grow warmer when their hands found each other again. Lith gripped his hand and pulled him towards the edge of the bed.   
"Come on," he whispered. The brunette complied and got up out of the bed, the blackblood following in suit. Without meaning to, Dustin squeezed his hand tighter, but felt relieved when he received no reaction out of it. The blackblood patiently led him out of the bedroom, the pale darkness of night swallowing them. Dustin felt as if his eyes couldn't adjust fast enough.  
"When was the last time you've eaten?" Lith suddenly inquired. Dustin blinked.   
"Er... yesterday at noon, I think," he realized. A sound like a sigh passed the blackblood's lips.   
"You should eat something. That may have caused your dream," he replied before continuing to lead. The brunette assumed they were going to the small kitchen area now. He heard a slight click and suddenly, a yellow light from the kitchen's corner flickered to life. Startled, he yanked his hand back and staggered backwards. He momentarily expected Derik to come into view, rousing him awake with the fluorescent yellow-splattered map in hand. Instead, he saw Lith staring at him, eyes wide and confused.  
"Dustin?" he called in a whisper. The brunette shook his head quickly.   
"H-Ha, I'm fine. I just got startled," he tried to chuckle. The blackblood frowned.   
"I see..." He hesitantly turned away, changing the subject. "Do you like turkey?" Dustin looked at him.   
"...Turkey? Oh, yeah, it's fine."  
"Good." Glancing over his shoulder, Lith spoke silently. 'You can go sit if you want,' his voice murmured inside his head. Dustin winced out of surprise. He nodded and crept out of the kitchen area, sitting down silently on the couch. After the briefest moment, his thoughts wandered back to the mysterious voice. His eyebrows furrowed. 'It was doing the thing Lith did... Was it actually him?' He couldn't help but wonder. Reaching outwards to check, he mentally groped at the blackblood's cold presence in his mind. Just as he touched it, the presence retracted in an instant. He felt the frigidity chill his imaginary fingertips. 'No, it's so different... Ugh.' Dustin imagined high walls in his mind: impenetrable, magical, anything he could think of to keep his mind safe. It was just an experiment, but he found himself reassured by the walls' presence.   
He feared feeling the uncomfortable warmth touching his mind again. He feared hearing that scratchy voice pleading in his head again. How'd it even know his name? At that question, Dustin felt himself huff. 'I'm acting like that dream was real! That voice was probably my mind, that's why it knew my name... But I wonder why it said weird things like that...' His lips formed a frown.   
Gentle footsteps pattered to his side, and Lith came into view. The golden light from the kitchen painted the blackblood's form, delicately revealing him within the room's darkness. In his hands was a plate with a sandwich on it. Dustin felt himself grow warm as Lith stood silently, expectantly.  
"For me?" he questioned. Lith nodded. He shifted his weight towards one side, holding the plate out to the brunette.  
"I don't cook," he admitted, "so I thought sandwiches would work for food." Something about his tone was reluctant, like he too was feeling uncomfortably warm. Though, Dustin wasn't sure if that was a thing with Lith. He took the plate with a small smile.   
"T-Thanks," he replied. As the blackblood moved from his position, he took a bite out of the sandwich. It was... peculiar. There were ingredients and flavors in it he couldn't identify, but he wasn't going to complain. His stomach twisted in the realization of his hunger, so he continued eating. When he took a moment to breathe, he noticed Lith sitting beside him, gazing at him with eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness. He gulped.  
"Are you going to eat?" he asked curiously. Lith shook his head.   
"I don't need to," he reminded in a quiet voice. Dustin blinked and tried to chuckle feeling embarrassed off.  
"Oh, right. I-Is there," he cleared his throat, "something wrong?" he asked. He didn't feel any feelings, but he wasn't sure if it was being hidden or not. The blackblood frowned.   
"...I'm just worried about you," he admitted. Something about his tone made the brunette feel uneasy as Lith continued:  
"You figured out how to build walls," he pointed out.  
"Huh? Is that really a thing...?" Dustin frowned. "I-It wasn't intentional."   
"I see." In smooth, silent movements, Lith scooched closer to the brunette. The cold air around him made Dustin's skin ripple with hidden goosebumps. "Would you like me to tell you about it now? To perhaps... take your mind off of things?" he asked. The brunette nodded.   
"Please."  
"Okay... I'm sure you have noticed, that you can reach out and make walls. It's a security like how our emotions are connected in a way. It's a little harder to explain though... If one of us reaches out to the other's mind, we can communicate in that way." Lith's eyes met with Dustin's, a new aura of seriousness washing over them. "Try it on me. You did somewhat before. Just... imagine how my mind felt in those two times and try to touch it." Dustin nodded. A cluster of questions and thoughts cluttered in his head, but he thought about Lith's presence. It was so dark and cold, and it confused him. It felt... malevolent, but that wasn't true about Lith at all. Dustin mentally reached out.   
He imagined a circle around him of space. Like a hand, he felt around for the blackblood's mind. A jolt of startled feeling shot through his imaginary hand when he felt something cold and familiar. He grabbed onto it. Lith physically flinched, as if Dustin had reached and grabbed him using his real arms. His eyes flared with a different emotion. Was it... pride?  
"There, you did it," he pointed out calmly. "Now, try saying something. Anything." Dustin gulped. 'Anything?' he wondered. The blackblood raised an eyebrow.   
"That works too." Dustin tensed, unconsciously retracting.  
"W-Wait, you can hear my thoughts just like that?" he spoke out loud. Lith nodded.   
"Yes."   
"Huh... Can I ask you something then?" The blackblood shrugged.   
"Sure. But do it mentally."  
"Aw, alright." The brunette whipped out his imaginary hand and felt for Lith's mind. Like before, he latched onto it the moment he found it. This time, a growl erupted from within. Dustin flinched.   
'Eh?'   
'Don't grab so hard!' the blackblood told him sharply. 'That hurts...' Dustin felt his heart thunderously skip a beat, and out of sheer embarrassment, his mind cluttered itself again.   
'Oh my god, that sounded so bad, oh god- Uhh, shit, I'm sorry! I-I'll try not to do that again,' he stammered frantically.   
'You're so loud.' An unfamiliar sound of Lith laughing echoed in his head, unrestricted by any sort of means. The brunette felt goosebumps rise on the back of his neck. The laughter ceased.  
'Dustin?' the blackblood called. Dustin gulped.  
'That was- No, wait.' He physically shook his head, as if trying to focus. 'I, um, my question, yes! It was, um,' The recent memory of the voice drifted to mind, and he reminisced for a moment. He mentally took a breath.  
Lith stared at him with wide eyes. Dustin froze as soon as he noticed.  
"...?"  
'What? Lith, what's wrong?'  
'D-Do it again,' Lith's inner voice whispered.   
'Do what ag-' Suddenly, loud white noise screamed inside the brunette's mind. Dustin gasped and covered his ears. He pulled away from Lith's mind and built walls again. The blackblood beside him made a sort of squeak.   
"D-Dustin, I'm sorry!" he whispered softly. Dustin looked up to meet his gaze. Lith looked scared, unnaturally scared. His hands reached up and cupped his pale lips. Dustin dropped his hands from his ears slowly. A dull throbbing echoed in his head.  
"Lith, what did you... Did you hear what I was remembering...?" he asked cautiously. The blackblood didn't respond.  
"..."   
"...Do you know who-"   
"No," Lith replied, too quickly. He looked away from the brunette. Dustin frowned. Concentrating for a moment, he reached out to Lith's mind again. There were no walls he could feel, but he was hesitant to touch it. Very gently, using the tip of his index, he touched it.  
Instead of feeling the overwhelming darkness, his finger sunk into an oily ocean of heavy sadness that filled his mind. The white noise returned, but was more distant than before. Dustin tried to listen.   
"...?"  
His lips parted in a silent gasp. The white noise wasn't merely noise: it was Lith's overlapping thoughts. He recognized Lith's voice, but he heard another voice inside as well. He listened closer.  
He... heard a conversation. A laughter laced with light snorting echoed. There was the sound of gentle ocean waves, like at a beach. He could've sworn he heard a seagull in the background.   
His eyes focused on Lith before him.  
Lith was looking downwards, holding his face in his hands. He was shaking. Dustin felt his heart painfully thunder and retracted.  
"L-Lith?" he whispered aloud. Lith hiccuped. Dustin held back a gasp noticing the blackblood's long nails digging into his own flesh.   
"Lith, you're hurting yourself! H-Hey!" He reached over and took the blackblood's hands gently. Lith's expression was torn with pain, but it faded slowly as his eyes shut. His shoulders relaxed and his body leaned forward. Dustin wrapped his arms around his shoulder. He paled; Lith had fainted again, like he did when the brunette first came here. 'Why...? W-What did I do?' The brunette frowned. Overwhelming guilt pooled in his stomach, and he felt nauseous.   
"..." Distantly, he remembered how late it was. They could only try and rest now. He stood up carefully from the couch and lifted Lith into his arms. The action felt so familiar as he walked back into the bedroom. Laying Lith down on the bed, he climbed in after and tucked him in, watching his pale face as he did.   
"..."  
"Because all you do is remind me of him!"   
Dustin flinched, hearing Lith's angered voice from within his memories. It was from when they were arguing that time. He... reminded Lith of Iodyne. He was like Iodyne so much, in fact, that Lith was that upset and emotional with him. The brunette felt his eyes start to burn.  
Did he do it again...? Was Lith going to hurt him when he woke up? A powerful feeling of fear came over him.   
He said he wouldn't hesitate next time. Would he...?  
Dustin sniffled and shifted closer to Lith. He adjusted the blackblood's hair and head position before he let himself lay down beside him. He watched him for a few more moments before his eyes drooped shut.   
Not realizing exactly how tired he was, he passed out into a dark, abyssal sleep.   
...  
"Dustin...?"


	19. guest

Lith's POV

He was with his love again.   
A distant memory swallowed him whole.  
He found himself at a beach. The sun beating down on him was hot and blissfully burning. A seagull cried overhead, just barely audible over the crashing of waves and distant beings conversing. A group of heads and elegant fins peeked out of the water near the shore. He saw someone familiar walk over to greet them. A sigh echoed in his ears, his hands suddenly burying themselves restlessly in the sand. The ivory particles sparkled beneath him.   
The sound of water rushing and rumbling momentarily filled his eardrums. A sense of panic struck him. He gulped.  
He sat nearby a row of washed-up boulders far from the water's edge. He didn't wear a swimsuit or anything: just a casual t-shirt and jeans. The necklace with the black locket attached hung around his neck. Salty air breathed in and out, brushing through his messy hair. He hadn't bothered to brush it well enough that day.  
Suddenly, a warm hand grasped his shoulder, tingling his skin in ways the sunshine never did. His eyes calmly wandered to see his lover sit down beside him. He smiled.  
'What are you doing?' he asked. Iodyne gazed at him through wet strands of brunette bangs. He wasn't wearing a shirt, revealing all the freckles, scars, and other amazing marks on his tanned body. He gave a playful grin.  
'Just dropping by. Hope you're not having too much fun without me,' he teasingly cooed. Lith chuckled and snatched up the hand on his shoulder, yanking his lover closer. They wrapped arms around each other, Iodyne taking pleasure in getting the blackblood's clothes wet. His cheerful laugh broke into the air.  
'Ehe, at least I'm not forcing you to swim with me!' Lith couldn't help but agree with a light laugh. The whiteblood's orange eyes glowed like a sun more dazzling than the giant star lighting the day, flooding with immense happiness. The warmth of his loving aura engulfed him. The beach and every being around them disappeared. It was only the two of them sitting and loving each other in the glistening sand.  
'I wish I walked him down to the water one last time,' he didn't quite say. 'I wish... Gods, if I had known this would happen.'  
Everything painfully faded to black. He clung to Iodyne's lingering warmth.   
'Please, don't leave...' he tried to whisper.  
'Hey babe.' He could still hear his lover's voice. Distantly, he replied, the smell of ocean air not yet out of reach.  
'Do you know how much I love you? ...Eheh, good guess.'  
A pause. Waves crashed and washed up against the faraway shore.  
'Thanks for coming to the beach with me.'

Lith's eyes silently opened.   
He stared up at a familiar ceiling. The ancient sound of waves was still distant, farther away than before. He listened, hoping deep down he was someplace else. Hoping that those waves were from that beach.  
"..."  
After a long moment, he blinked. The blanket tucking him in suddenly felt very real. He was awake now, he realized in defeat. Thorns of confusion raked his dazed thoughts, pricking with a strange pain in his head. A headache? He couldn't remember going to sleep last night. In fact, he couldn't remember much from yesterday... Eyebrows furrowing, he carefully sat up. As he did, something tugged on the blanket, making him tense. Lith held back a gasp.  
Dustin was in the bed next to him, curled up and holding onto the blanket's corner. It appeared to be an unconscious grip. All at once, memories of yesterday flooded back like a broken river dam. He didn't go to bed willingly, he realized. The blackblood sighed and rubbed his face.   
"Gods...," he breathed. This was the second time he'd fainted in front of Dustin. Though this occurrence wasn't completely new, having it happen in front of others was. He hadn't had so many nowadays either.   
There was so much that was new in his life now, he realized.   
The blackblood's eyes gently crossed Dustin's unconscious expression. His chest rose up and down under the blanket, a slight but obvious snore passing his lips. A small spark of curiosity made Lith tilt his head. 'Do humans make sleeping noises too...?' he wondered. 'How endearing...' Gladly— perhaps even childishly— letting curiosity override his stressful thoughts, the blackblood leaned closer to the brunette's face, his thoughts picking apart how the sound could be made. He knew Buka snored, but he assumed it was due to many fractures in his face that occurred in their lifetimes. But now, unless Dustin had his nose or his jaw broken before, Lith wasn't sure what the cause could be. While he swam through his thoughts, he observed a strand of saliva beginning to escape the brunette's lips. He scowled in disgust and pulled away. 'Not everything about humans is endearing...' he reminded himself.  
"..." All of a sudden, he heard a distant sound of a door opening. Lith snapped to look at the bedroom door. It didn't move.   
"...?" Another sound followed, a door gently landing back into its frame. 'That's the front door,' his thoughts gasped. 'Someone's here.' As swiftly and smoothly as possible, he pushed the blanket off his body and leapt out of bed. He still wore the clothes he had on yesterday, so he immediately crept towards the bedroom door. He listened closely for another revealing sound.  
...  
"Oh dear," a small voice whispered, a delicate, feminine bell that the blackblood recognized. He stood up straight, dumbfounded. He forgot Miss Moretta was coming! Immediately relaxing, he opened the bedroom door a margin, peeking out.   
Standing in the main room was a young woman, glancing around at her surroundings. Her strawberry blonde hair was folded messily into a bun atop her head, held together with a purple ribbon pin. In her hands was a black composition notebook with sigils written in silver marker on the cover. Lith watched her for a moment before she turned to face him. She was nervous, but much like he did, the sight of the blackblood made her relax. Her eyes were the color of warm amethysts, pinched with slight wrinkles that objected to her youthful appearance. Although those eyes would propose something more than human about her, the color was merely thanks to contacts. She smiled.  
"Oh, hello Lith," she greeted. "Did I wake you?" Lith shook his head and stepped out, closing the bedroom door behind him.   
"I forgot you were coming, I apologize," he admitted in a whisper. Miss Moretta tilted her head. Though she gave him a forgiving look, there was something fascinated in her expression.   
"Do you have a guest over?" she asked, matching his volume. Lith nodded.   
"He's still sleeping."   
"Ah, I see. How exciting." A smile dancing on her lips, she held her notebook behind her back, as if restraining herself from looking at it. "When was the last time you had a guest over who wasn't me?" Lith allowed a sheepish smile.   
"Never." Silently, he found himself thinking back three years ago. It was true. Ever since Iodyne died and he fled here, the only person he actively saw and talked to was Miss Moretta. Then she started to look out for him a few months after he became her client. It was strange, but he didn't feel compelled to ask her why.  
"Ah!" Miss Moretta pressed a finger against the bridge of her black-rimmed glasses. Her nails were violet and neatly trimmed. "Well, it's nice to see you like this... Tell me, dear, is he nice?"   
"Yeah... I'm sure you would like him," Lith hummed. "Nice" seemed like the simplest way to describe Dustin, and he left it at that. "Oh, one moment." Turning around, he reentered his bedroom, keeping the door as closed as possible as he did. He crept over to his dresser and picked up a manila packet filled with paper. Inside was the first draft of his latest work, but even so, the packet didn't feel very heavy. At least, it wasn't compared to his past works. Lith took a glance towards Dustin's sleeping form in the bed. The brunette faced away from him, but his shoulders swayed with peaceful breathing. He ghosted a smile before returning to Miss Moretta.   
The young woman was now seated on couch, rubbing at a spot on her glasses with the hem of her shirt. Lith studied her curiously, noticing the inside of the glasses' frame was a subtle coral hue.   
"Did you get new glasses?" he questioned. Miss Moretta glanced up.   
"Oh, yes! I didn't think you would notice," she chuckled, placing the glasses back on. "I got these earlier this month."   
"Oh. They suit you well, miss," he complimented. Miss Moretta smiled warmly as he sat down beside her.  
Lith could have sworn her cheeks started to glow.   
"Oh, you flatter me. But dear, you don't have to call me 'miss' all the time. We're not as formal as we used to be," she hummed. "Remember my remark about it in our call the other day?" Lith held a steady expression. Her suggestion distastefully reminded him of his last encounter with the boss— or Aisha, as he should call her from now on. At least Miss Moretta didn't seem to be as interested in him as Aisha was. After a moment, he smiled lightly.  
"Alright... Is 'Moretta' okay?  
"Yes." Moretta mirrored him. "As a matter of fact, it's my first name, so it would make sense." Lith blinked.  
"Is that so?"  
"Very much so."  
"It's a pretty name." Before she could reply, his eyes averted to the manila packet in his hands. "Here you are." He gently held it out for her to take. Moretta took it with noticeable anticipation. She flashed him a smile before taking a peek inside.   
"Ah, this one isn't very long, is it?" she acknowledged.  
"Not as long as the others."  
"I see. I'll get to work on it as soon as I get back." Moretta placed the packet on top of her notebook, folding her hands over its surface. She looked up at Lith, her eyes still sparkling.   
"So, tell me about your guest. Is he an old friend or someone new?" she asked.   
"I met him a couple days ago," Lith started. He placed his hands neatly in his lap. "I met him at the cafe across the street. He was staying at a hotel nearby, and then after a bit he came over. We're roommates now." Trying to put their encounter into words that didn't sound preposterous was surprisingly difficult, and adding that to the fact that Moretta was an unsuspecting human only made it worse. Or, at least she never alluded that she knew something was off about him. Moretta watched him, listening intently to his words.  
"Really? That's wonderful! I'm happy for you," she beamed. Lith blinked. Stifling a deep feeling of embarrassment, he made a small smile.  
"Thank you," he murmured. Moretta chuckled. She leaned forward.  
"What's his name, might I ask?"   
"It's-" Before the name could pass his lips, the sound of a door opening caught his attention. His eyes darted to the bedroom door. It was open a margin, and a familiar figure pushed it further outward. Lith relaxed as Dustin's messy brunette locks came into light.   
"Dustin," the blackblood murmured softly. Rubbing his eyes, Dustin peered around the room. He still wore the clothes he slept in, his hoodie unzipped just enough to show the collar of the shirt he wore underneath.   
"Hm...?" he hummed. His gaze landing on Moretta, he suddenly blinked into reality. He grew tense. "Oh, uh, did I interrupt something?" Moretta laughed softly and stood up.   
"No, no, don't you worry about it," she assured. She stepped up to the brunette with an eagerness in her step and held out her hand. "My name is Moretta. I'm Lith's publisher lady, you see. And you must be Dustin?" she greeted warmly. Dustin dazedly shook her hand, his eyes focused on hers. His angelic blue gaze was wonderstruck.  
Ah, again with the angelic...  
"Y-Yeah. Nice to meet you," he replied with a drowsy smile. Moretta released her grip and smiled back. A thought crossed Lith's mind, and he suddenly feared Dustin asking about her eyes. 'He might assume that she's from my world...' he realized. He stood up and walked to Moretta's side. Moretta seemed to bounce in her heels.   
"Ah, you look like a nice kid," she remarked. "Thank you for being Lith's roommate. He certainly needs another pair of eyes looking out for him." Dustin's cheeks flushed. He smiled a bit, pushing a lock of hair behind his ear.  
"Oh, it's nothing," he chuckled. Moretta continued to admire him happily. The brunette's eyes wandered to meet Lith's. His mind reached out to touch the blackblood's, but he said nothing. Lith tilted his head.   
'She's human, please don't mention anything magical to her,' his mind hastily informed. Dustin seemed to visibly understand, his expression shifting slightly in recognition.  
'Oh, okay,' he replied. He glanced back towards Moretta with a smile. Out loud, he spoke, "Do you always wear contacts?" Moretta nodded.   
"I dislike my biological eye color, to be honest, so I always wear these purple contacts. I have heterochromia, you see," she explained. Dustin blinked.   
"Really? That's so cool, why don't you like it?" he asked curiously. Moretta adjusted her glasses.  
"It's brown and a greyish color that doesn't look very appealing. And in my brown eye, you can see the other color in my iris, and it just looks off." A chuckle passed her lips. "Besides, I prefer the reactions I get from people with these contacts on."  
"Heh. That's understandable." Lith's eyes shifted between the two of them. He already knew this information, but he'd never actually seen her with the contacts. He wondered if her eyes were actually as unappealing as she described them to be. 'Probably not, but that's none of my concern.' He shut his eyes for a moment like a long blink. His headache seemed to have vanished, he noticed. Maybe it wasn't actually a headache.   
Suddenly, startling both him and Dustin, a fragment of a popular song began to play from nearby. Moretta jumped and muttered something, patting her pockets until she pulled out a sleek cell phone, the source of the music. Her eyes darted across the screen.  
"Oh, excuse me, I have to take this," she claimed dejectedly. With a quick turn on her heel, she exited out the front door. A formal "Hello?" passed her lips before she shut the door behind her. Lith sighed under his breath. He glanced over at the brunette, who still wore a curious look on his face. He couldn't help but smile.   
"Good morning, Dustin," he greeted, turning to face the brunette. Dustin looked at him and smiled back. His expression relaxed, revealing a range of deeper emotions.   
"Morning. How are you feeling?" he asked. "I, uh... I'm sorry for upsetting you last night." He held his gaze, though his eyes seemed to tremble. The blackblood shook his head.  
"Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault," he insisted. He patted Dustin on the shoulder, rubbing at the wrinkles nearby with his fingertips. "My fainting is normal. I just never had it happen in front of others." Somehow, that statement seemed to make the situation worse. Dustin stared at him with more concern in his gaze.   
"Lith, t-that's not normal..," he replied. "How long has it been happening?" Lith glanced away, refusing to answer.   
"..." Dustin frowned. In silence, he studied the blackblood, probably in thought. Lith wondered what he could be thinking about, prompted from this newly kindled concern. The possibilities were nearly endless, but the blackblood didn't feel up to eavesdropping on his thoughts.  
"Oh jeez, you have marks from last night," Dustin suddenly gasped. Lith looked up at him.  
"What?"   
"On your face." Dustin reached out, his fingertips grazing against the blackblood's pale face. He seemed to hesitate before actually touching him, poking at a sensitive region. Lith winced. The warmth was gentle, but Dustin was not. Dustin pulled his hand away, blushing.   
"S-Sorry," he apologized. "It doesn't look like it's bloody, but it's noticeable..." Lith looked up at him.  
"I'll be fine, Dustin. It isn't a big deal." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I've had worse happen to my face." Dustin raised an eyebrow.   
"Like what?"   
"Food." That prompted an incredulous look from the brunette. Lith raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything else. The two of them merely looked at each other in the settled silence. Dustin shifted to respond when the front door opened, catching their attention. Moretta peeked inside.   
"I'm afraid I must go," she announced. "Family emergency. I'll be in contact, dear!"   
"Goodbye," Lith bid with a slight smile. Dustin smiled and waved. Moretta flashed a warm smile before quickly closing the door. Her heels tapped hurriedly against the wood flooring outside until she was out of earshot. Lith's smile immediately faded, donning a thoughtful expression.  
"I hope everything is fine," he murmured. Dustin glanced back towards him.  
"Yeah," he agreed.   
Faraway, a seagull cried outside.


	20. doomsday

Though seagulls never meant anything to Lith these past years, they brought back some distant memories of his homeworld. It's one of the few creatures this world had in common with Lith's, and they were also found by the coastline. Lith only went to beaches either with Iodyne or for some important events. Dustin was the same way, actually. The two of them found themselves sharing these old stories.

The days started to pass like water, time acting like a endless ocean. Lith used to spend those days writing away or sleeping to stifle his emotions, but these days were spent with long hours of talking. Some would call it "bonding", and some would call it "mindless chatter". Dustin called it "basic human interaction".

Lith wasn't sure what to call it, but he had never felt more calm before. For the hours he spent recounting old friends and enemies, his voice rarely broke. The life he used to live was no longer sealed away in his memories as he told it piece by piece to Dustin.

And Dustin? He adored every moment of it. His eyes misted when old tragedies were spoken. He chuckled with a "No way!" when some insane antic was retold. Sometimes, Lith laughed too.

From time to time, Buka and Moretta would stop by. Derik occasionally showed up as well, though he and Lith were still on rough terms. Dustin even called his grandfather on some kind of video chat application. He was astounded to see Lith, but so happy to hear that Dustin was alright. It was touching.

This experience— living with Dustin— was touching. After a while, Lith began to think himself lucky. On one fateful day, he came into that cafe at the perfect time, and his life was changed. Though his sadness for Iodyne's death would certainly never leave, the dreary nightmare he let himself sink into did. It was like Dustin's effort and presence woke him up, and he was finally recovering.

Was it justified to call him "angelic" now?

But a terrible deadline stared Lith in the face. The old parchment with words and numbers written in delicate, crimson ink was hidden away in the dresser, but the fact couldn't be ignored.

Dustin was going to die soon.

Though Lith read the parchment until the date was engraved into his memory, he didn't dare tell Dustin. His previous PICs didn't need to know when they were supposed to die. Why should Dustin?

It would only hurt him.

As the days flew by, the deadline grew nearer and nearer, creeping up on them like a growing shadow.

Lith would never let it swallow Dustin up.

Finally, about a month later, today was the day.

Dustin tied his shoelaces into a tight bow. A light grin on his lips, he beamed up at the blackblood across from him. Though he returned the smile, Lith felt colder than he normally did.

"So where are we meeting Derik?" he asked. "At his home?" Dustin shook his head. He shifted to tie his other shoe.

"At a mall in town. Well, in Williamsburg anyway. He has to run a few errands," he explained. Lith tilted his head.

"'Mall'...?" he repeated curiously. The brunette looked up.

"Oh, it's like a bunch of stores grouped together in one building." He chuckled. "Your homeworld is pretty rural, isn't it?" Lith shrugged.

"It varies, but most of it is, yes."

"Ah." Finishing tying his other shoe, Dustin stood up. He stepped over to Lith's side. His gaze turned a shade of serious. "Hey, um... Is there any particular reason you want to go with me? I-I know that you want to protect me and it's your job to, but if you're uncomfortable with Derik, you don't have to go." He made a sheepish smile. "I'm sure we won't be getting into trouble." The blackblood frowned. His fingers picked at the hem of his long sleeved shirt. His nails were much shorter now and neatly trimmed.

"It's alright," he replied softly. "I just want to protect you. There's a chance you could get into an accident on the way there, you see." Dustin made a curious, yet guilty look.

"Well, you're not wrong, but... Okay." He patted Lith on the shoulder gently. Though his chilled body still gave him a start every now and then, he had gotten used to it. Lith made a small smile.

"Let's get going," he told him. Dustin nodded with a grin creeping up his face.

"Are you excited? I'll be driving you somewhere for the first time," he pointed out. Lith nodded. The first time he heard the brunette had a car, he was curious. Not curious enough to ask him about it, but curious enough that Dustin noticed. After leaving the hotel on the day they met, he drove the car into the condo's parking lot where it stayed unless he needed to go out somewhere. He never took Lith out in the car though, until today. Lith blinked.

"That's right. I suppose I am excited," he mumbled, hoping to ease Dustin's worries further. Dustin chuckled.

"I'm glad. Let's get going!"

Lith followed Dustin out of the condo. The hot air was breezy, whipping through his hair with its ocean-scented fingers. Dustin didn't seem bothered as he trotted to the condo's parking lot around the back. His chocolate locks of hair looked melted, deliciously messy to Lith; he could never figure out how Dustin's hair looked nice no matter what. Same with the rest of his features.

Dustin waltzed towards the only car in the parking lot: an old, dark blue Tercel that's seen its share of life. Lith studied it with a newfound curiosity. He'd never actually seen it before, as a matter of fact. It was pretty small and worn-out, with two doors, a low height, and a plethora of scrapes in the paint and dents, but it seemed like something Dustin would drive. He watched patiently as Dustin walked around to the driver's side and opened the door. Instead of sitting inside, he looked over towards Lith.

"Have you ever been in a car before?" he asked. Lith stared at him. His cheeks cooled.

"...No," he admitted. Dustin looked shocked, but he laughed a little.

"Oh, it's nothing complicated, don't worry," he assured. Lith averted his eyes.

"I'm aware. Is this door locked?" He motioned towards the passenger door. Dustin nodded as he ducked into the car. He reached across the seats to pull up a switch on the door.

"Okay, now try opening it." Lith did, and the door opened with a squeak. Pleased, Dustin pulled away and sat in the driver's seat. Lith sat in the seat next to him. The inside of the car looked a little less worn, but the black seat covers probably hid some wear and tear. There was a long crack in the windshield, lots of dust, and even a dead bee stuck in one of the vents. Lith found himself wanting to pluck it out and inspect it when Dustin spoke again.

"There's a seatbelt over your shoulder," he pointed out. Lith glanced over. A dusty, silver buckle caught his eye. He grabbed it and pulled.

"Where do I put it?"

"Here." Dustin took the buckle from Lith's fingers, pulling it across his chest. Lith watched, a little flustered, as Dustin clicked the buckle into a small slot by the console. "There we go. Just press the red button to release it when we get to the mall," he indicated. Lith nodded. Dustin slumped back into his seat and pulled out an old key ring. On it was a few miscellaneous keys-- including the car's key, which was larger and older than the others-- and a little dangling figure of a Supernatural character. He put the car key into a slot under the steering wheel and twisted. The car roared to life, making Lith alert. Dustin couldn't help but chuckle.

"If I drive too fast, just let me know," he teased. Lith frowned.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not a child, nor completely unknown to this," he retorted.

"I know." Scratching his cheek, Dustin made a sheepish smile. "You're just cute when you get defensive." Lith blinked. Blushing, he averted his eyes.

"Is that so?" The two of them were silent as Dustin began to drive, pulling out of the parking lot. Lith feared an awkward atmosphere, so he glanced back to the vent. He pried his fingers inside. Dustin raised an eyebrow. His cheeks were flushed.

"Is there something in there?" he asked. Lith carefully extracted the bee, holding onto it by the wing.

"A bee."

"Oh wow, that's been there for a while." Dustin kept his eyes on the road, but Lith could see there was still curiosity and amusement in them. "You can keep it if you want." Lith stifled a laugh. After figuring out how to roll down the window, he threw the bee out of the car.

"No thank you."

>>>>>

"So why are we meeting Derik at... the mall?"

The two of them closed the doors of the Tercel and began to approach a large building. There were lots of signs and brand names, vibrant colors clashing against each other and the cars and people around. Lith warily glanced around at the crowd surrounding them. Children were yelling, pairs of friends talking and laughing, and employees around to direct them all.

"He wanted to go to Hot Topic," Dustin shrugged. "Have you ever been there?" Lith shook his head.

"I've only heard of it a few times, a long time ago."

"You'll love it. They sell gothic and edgy stuff, and band tees!" Dustin flashed a smile, the excited one that Lith can't help but return.

"You really want me to get newer band shirts, huh?" he sighed.

"No one listens to The Cure or Evanescence anymore. And I still have no idea what kind of bands you have back at home."

"Fair enough, but I assure you; Ink Blot Crowz isn't washed out. If they ever made a presence on Earth, I believe they have a decent following."

"Let me know when they start selling tickets to their first concert here." The two of them shared a laugh. A month ago, Lith wouldn't have laughed so easily, so freely, especially not in public. Dustin made him feel comfortable to feel and express emotions again. It even made him forget for a moment what was supposed to go down today. As their laughter died down, a child bolted past Lith, brushing against his arm. Lith flinched, rubbing the spot where the unfamiliar warmth touched him. He found himself conscious of the crowd again as they entered the mall. There were so many eyes on them-- on him. His fingertips picked at the hem of his shirt. He gulped. It really has been a long time since he'd been in such a populated, unfamiliar place.

"You alright?" Lith's eyes darted to Dustin.

"Uh, yes," he breathed, "I'm just a little nervous." Dustin tilted his head,

"Is it the people?" Lith nodded. Dustin pursed his lips. Gently, he took one of Lith's busy hands in his own, squeezing tightly. Lith blinked, looking at him in confusion. His cheeks a soft rosy color, Dustin smiled.

"I can hold your hand so we can't get separated. I won't leave you by yourself, okay?" Lith nodded, feeling his cheeks chill.

"Okay." Squeezing Dustin's hand back, he started walking by his side. The familiar warmth soothed his discomfort a bit.

"It won't be this crowded closer to the shops. It's always busiest by the entrances and exits," Dustin added as they walked. "Let's go find a map of this place." Lith nodded.

"There was a sign saying there was one by a fountain," he pointed out.

"Oh, like that one?" Dustin motioned towards the end of the entrance hall where a towering water fountain stood. The water glittered in the sunlight that gleamed in through the glass ceiling. There were children and parents around it, taking turns tossing coins into the water. The sight filled Lith with nostalgia and some other strange feelings.

"Beautiful," was all he murmured as they approached. Dustin glanced at him.

"Yeah. Does it look like any of the fountains back at your homeworld?" he asked, recalling a mention of a fountain. Lith made an uncertain look.

"It's about this size, but quite different. It was an outdoor fountain and very rusty, but the water came out in a similar way."

"Cool." Dustin smiled. "...Oh, there's a map! Come on." He gently pulled Lith towards a kiosk with a map of the building on it. There were brand names all across, and there were two floors in total. The light the kiosk gave off was mesmerizing, somehow. Lith looked away, leaving the map for Dustin to examine. However, the weird feeling didn't leave his eyes. He frowned.

Something was wrong.

Was it time...? The sound of a man yelling entered his ears. His eyes landed on a tall man in a dress shirt, arguing with a police officer. The lettering on the back of the officer's shirt read "SECURITY". Lith couldn't help but stare.

"Dustin," he called urgently. He squeezed his hand tightly, tight enough to make him wince.

"Ow!" Dustin gasped, yanking his hand away and turning to Lith. "What's wrong? What happened?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing. Lith felt his lip tremble. He grabbed Dustin by the wrists and pulled him backwards.

"We need to go, now," he demanded. Dustin stared at him, confused.

"Wh-"

"Sir, you need to calm down," the officer told the man loudly. The man was holding the sides of his head now. Something was wrong.

"You're not listening to me," the man grumbled, distraught. "You never listen!" He whipped a hand into his pocket, sliding out a handgun. The people around gasped and moved away, some starting to cry out and scream. Dustin's eyes widened.

"What the-?!"

"Come on!" Lith tugged on his wrists, pulling him around and pushing him towards the exit. Dustin tried to hurry, but the force made him stumble. He hit the ground, giving Lith a start. 'The gun didn't fire,' he told himself, 'It didn't fire.' He wrapped his arms around Dustin and lifted him up to his feet.

"Hurry!" he urged, almost pleading. His heart thundered in his ears. Dustin's eyes were filled with panic and fear.

What was this terror they felt? Trying to run with a screaming crowd from a bloody fate was unlike anything either of them had felt before. Any moment now, this could fail. Any second now, Dustin could die. His life was entirely in Lith's hands, and Lith was panicking. Surely he could see it in the blackblood's eyes. But Lith was filled with an overwhelming desire, the primal instinct in his body, to protect him.

He needed to protect his PIC.

His friend.

His angel.

He needed to, and he was ready to sacrifice everything to do it.

That's why when he heard the first gunshot, he didn't try to run with Dustin in his arms. He didn't try to exert himself with shadow magic to save the both of them. He didn't try to risk anything.

He just shoved him as hard as he could.

He watched Dustin fly down the hall, stumbling painfully to the floor, out of the gun's sight.

An explosive pain pierced his back. Someone was screaming in pain, but he didn't even realize it was himself.

Dustin felt all the air disappear as Lith crumpled to the floor. Though his body was throbbing with pain from being pushed, he thrust himself to his feet.

"Noo!!!" He screamed as he bolted. "Lith!! Lith!!" Black blood began to pool on the tile floor underneath Lith. Dustin skidded to a stop by his side, collapsing to his knees. Before he could realize it, tears were pouring down his face. "N-No, no, Lith!! Can you hear me?!" He grabbed Lith and turned him over. A whimper of pain came from the blackblood, making Dustin gasp. His eyes were squeezed shut, spilling strained tears. Dustin pressed his hands against the wound. There was so much blood. The color made everything feel so much worse. He couldn't help but sob over Lith, hanging his head close to his.

"This can't be happening, this can't be happening," he cried. Lith let his eyes open slightly. Dustin was completely blurry, but he could feel his tears falling on his face.

"S-Stop," he choked. "You need to leave." Dustin shook his head.

"Like hell I will! I won't let you end up like Iodyne!" Lith's eyes widened.

"N-No..." His hand trembled as he reached up to touch Dustin's bloody hands. "Today's the day. You need to go, n-now," he urged. Dustin continued to cry, perhaps even harder than before.

"I'm not leaving you to die!" he whined. Releasing the wound, he wrapped his arms around Lith and embraced him, holding him against his chest. "You can't die...! P-Please don't die...!" Lith closed his eyes again, his face buried in Dustin's hair.

Dustin's body heat felt... so nice and comforting.

Carefully, he clung to Dustin by the fingertips. He focused as much as he could bear. The pain made it so difficult. Beads of sweat broke out on his face.

The floor became darkness, and the two of them fell within. Dustin gasped in his ear. His grip on Lith tightened.

"A-Agh!" Lith groaned, gritting his teeth.

"Lith!" Dustin whimpered. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He shifted to look at Lith, only to see him straining.

Then suddenly, the floor appeared again, and they slammed against it. Both Dustin and Lith groaned. Dustin released Lith and looked around. They were back home! Long ago, Lith said something about travelling through shadows, but he didn't think he would experience it. He snapped out of his thoughts to hear Lith panting hard. He looked at him with fear.

"D-Don't move!" He reached over and patted Lith down. There was a lump in his pants pocket: his phone. Dustin took it out and started to call someone. Buka, probably. Lith kept his eyes closed, trying to relax. He could barely breathe, let alone stay calm and alive for Dustin.

But at least he was safe.

...It was stereotypical, but Lith felt exhausted. He couldn't be bothered to open his eyes again. Maybe just a little slumber would make him feel better enough to stay awake for Dustin... Despite how dangerous it could be, he couldn't fight the urge.

Without another thought, he passed out, the last thing he heard being Dustin crying to Buka on the phone.

He sounded... a lot like Iodyne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n | 7/31/2020
> 
> if you are reading this, thank you for having an interest in my work, and thank you for reading up until this point! this ends the first 20 chapters i had posted on wattpad (where i posted work previously)  
> im not certain when the next chapter will be posted. however, it is in progress at this time.  
> i hope you enjoy what the future has to hold :)


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